Why LOVE is PURPLE
by shadow0015
Summary: Post NWN story of Punkin Capernun who wanted nothing else but to become a great bard in the likeness of her heroine, Ashmorlenna but what happens when distractions come up...i.e. school, boys and valley girl monks? [COMPLETE]
1. Chapter One

AN: First things first. I need to thank Guan (also my beta) for allowing me to use his character (and saving my nights of headaches trying to come up with a good teacher) Jude Takrath. I promise that I'll keep him in character and I won't let him die or anything. I also promise he won't be involved in any type of criminal activity that I am accustomed to write about and that he will not be possessed by any demons or principalities. I also don't own Neverwinter or anything else...blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I own Punkin, Meris, Akyrra and any other characters you've never heard of. So now...on to the show...

* * *

**Why Love Is Purple**

**Chapter One: School Daze**

Neverwinter has always been my home. I was raised here as it grew in power. I also saw it crumble at the hands of the evil queen of the creator race. But today was the celebration of a new chapter of the Neverwinter Empire. Three years of tireless toil went into the construction of the 2nd Neverwinter Academy. Though it still was situated on its spot in the Beggar's Nest, its entire appearance was different. The dark walls were replaced with white stone slates. With the addition of more windows it seemed more like a dazzling castle than an institution of learning and gave the entire district less of a murky appearance. It was much taller as well, towering above twelve stories to accommodating all the new recruits for the Neverwinterian Army.

"Punkin!" said the heartwarming voice of my former partner and now the Headmistress of the Academy, Sharwyn soon-to-be Alagondar, "Are you here to enlist in the Academy?"

"Of course. I vowed I'd defend this city, remember?"I replied.

Sharwyn smiled as she looked down on my five-foot frame, "You are aware that the gates aren't going to be opened until morning."

"Yeah, I know." I said as I showed her my bedroll and pillow, "I really want to make sure I'm the first to join," and I sat down Indian style on my throw cover.

Sharwyn touched my shoulder, "Come on. You help save this city from destruction, I guess it would be fitting that you'd get to enter the halls as the first student." I grinned as I stood up and Sharwyn opened the gates and we walked through…to my new home.

It looked more impressive inside. The walls must have climbed to over three times my height and were made of pearly white sandstones. The doors were wood lined with gem covered silver slips. It all even smelt new. It reminded me of the way the early morning air smelled after a midnight shower.

Sharwyn gazed at me as I searched over everything. I seemed to have transcended into another plane but she interrupted my inspection, "So what have you been doing these last three years?"

I scratched my head, "Other than grow an half an inch, I've been reading a lot…"

"Really!" Sharwyn exclaimed, "So what did you think of my book?"

"Ah…" Crap how would I tell, My Headmistress this one… "I kind of haven't been reading…adventure stuff."

"Oh, well that's good because it is a major part of the curriculum, so you won't have an advantage over the other students."

"I see that you haven't changed much." She smiled and I continued, "I've been reading about bardic lore. I'm sure you know much more than I have learned but I'm really intrigued by the whole thing. I never really know how much work went into becoming a decent bard. I thought all I needed was a good voice and a sharp weapon…"

"And what have you found?" Sharwyn asked.

"Bards are responsible for the knowledge of the past to reach the present. They are messengers to the commoners, celebrities to the middle class and prophets to the kings…"

"You really have been studying. I was wondering…" Sharwyn green eyes darted to the left side of their sockets, "Exactly what did Ash give you when she left?" Sharwyn had been given the bow from Ashmorlenna the heroine of not only Neverwinter but also her homeland. She was my inspiration. I was destined to become like her. I grabbed the hilt of my blade, the Patheon. It was beautifully made. The tip to the hilt was enclosed by a two-inch layer glassteel, an Avariel material of highly pressed glass that becomes as strong as steel. Inside adamantium blood flowed through its veins. The forte near the tip on the false edge side was slightly serrated and the edge was angled so faintly that it seemed to meld into the rest of blade. The hilt was also adamantium but was wrapped with black mesh leather and the bottom of the handle was a replica of a dragon's mouth. At times I felt a great energy flowing from it and when Ashmorlenna was its master it even glowed a bright red light but it hasn't blessed me with that capacity…yet.

"She gave you that!" Sharwyn stood with her mouth open, "Didn't she…"

"Kill Morag with it. Yes, and she told me that I was the only other person that it seemed to like so she gave it to yours truly," I smiled and put my rapier away, "So, where's my room at?"

"I don't know I'll have to check my records. I believe you'll be on the tenth floor but let me check. Follow me to my office," Sharwyn said almost professionally.

As she opened her office we saw a shadow figure in her seat. Sharwyn quickly lighted her torch as I pulled out my blade and placed it between the eyes of the trespasser.

"This is how you treat your betrothed?" Spoke the crackly voice of Nasher Alagondar. He was well built for a man nearing his twilight years with a rim of gray hair on his head and a slight arch in his back from the many decades of unrest place on the shoulders of the ruler of Neverwinter.

Sharwyn hugged him from over her table, "I didn't expect you back so soon. How are the Uthgardt Tribes doing?"

Nasher rubbed his half-bald head, "They are as stubborn as ever. They say they see little advantage in siding with us and that our quarrel with Luskan needs to drop. They claim that this is a mere cold war. Balderdash, I say. I know that the Luskans are planning to assail us while we are in shambles…"

"They are into rumbles as well…" I said and he gave me the ugliest look I had ever gotten and I've been sent some unsightly ones in my day.

"You know little of what goes on in Luskan…"

"I went there, remember. I fought inside the tower," I said as I slammed my fist on the table, "I saw the city. They are in no condition to attack. You're just a paranoid old man."

"Punkin." Sharwyn scolded, "That's no way to talk to…"

"I talk how I wanna to talk. He just wishes to see more of us die. We aren't pawns. If it wasn't for him than Ash would have stayed here but his…"

"Punkin," Sharwyn said as she grabbed my shoulders and shoved me out of the door, "That's enough. Your room is 1005. Here's your key," she handed me a silver key, "Go and get settled in." With that she slammed the door and I was left with only one option. Walking up to my new room. I turned, started towards the stairs and saw him. He was gray haired but not to the extent of Nasher and his even had some life left in it. He seemed well learned and carried himself accordingly.

"Hiya," I greeted with a wave.

Methodically he walked over to me, meet my eyes and said, "You are not one of the instructors, are you?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"I was just told that I was going to be youngest and you seemed…"

"Thank you for the compliment," I said and held out my hand, "Punkin Capernun, Bard Extraordinaire."

"Jude Takrath," he held his hand out and a gap between his glove and sleeve revealed his bone forearm.

"You are a Pale Master!" I exclaimed.

"Surprised to see one teaching…"

"I'm surprised to see one alive. I always wanted to meet a Pale Master," I opened my pack and showed him my list of people I'd love to meet.

"I'm right up there with Drizzt Do'Urdan, Blackstaff and a Daemonfey, huh." Jude said as he looked at my list, "I was told by Sharwyn that this student body would be…different but I didn't think she meant this kind of different."

I didn't know if that was a cheer or a jeer. So I changed the subject, "What do you teach?"

"The Magical Arts with an emphasis on Necromancy." As he spoke, a small pixie came flying across the hallway with a bag three times her own side. She dropped it on the ground near the foot of Jude but missed as she smiled at us.

"So, I guess you aren't the youngest teacher." She teased Jude, "And the whole way here I had to hear, 'I'm going to be the youngest instructor. I'm going to go down in chronicles. The whole student body will know me…'"

"River," Jude said with a smirk, stroking his small goatee, "She's a student. Punkin Capernun, this is my friend, River."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." My curiosity was killing me, "Why are you carrying all that stuff?"

Jude said casually, "We flipped a coin and she lost."

River shrugged her shoulders and said, "Tails never fails…"

Jude interrupted, "Except for the fifty percent of the time when it does." River huffed and grabbed the bag. Jude looked at me and continued our former conversation, "What did you say you were planning on concentrating on?"

"I'm a bard. I want to train in everything. I love shadow skills and close combat. But I have a passion for spellcraft and ancient lore as well. Maybe I'll be your pupil," I said as I held my hand up for a high five.

Jude looked at my exposed palm like it was a peacock flying into a glass window, "I'll see you around."

**XOXOXO **

My room wasn't anything special, very small probably twenty-four by twenty feet with one window that looked out to the gate and two beds. I unpacked my things; purple robe, lavender cloak, violet boots... I had never noticed until that night that I had a fixation with purple. Never would I have thought that this obsession would grow as far as it did. I looked out my window and squinted to see small line of students that began to gather by the gates. The first was very peculiar indeed. He was dressed in a plain commoner's outfit but anyone who looked at him knew he was far from 'common'. His most distinguishing feature was his silver horns, small and slightly curved that situated themselves a few inches above his eyebrows. It might have been the night sky but I swear that his eyes, hair and skin were colored purple but I shook the idea out of my head. It most be the distance and the night's cloak, I thought. I could tell that he was over a head taller than most of the other that stood there and estimated his height at just under seven feet. Although he was tall, he appeared to lack a great deal of muscle tone on his body. I tried to wipe my mind of his figure but I couldn't prevail and I fell asleep with my mind's eye gazing upon him all night long. So that night, my first of many in my new home I went into the land of slumber fixed on meeting this strange new person that I stared at from high in my lofty getaway…

**XOXOXO **

It was the blasting beam of bright daylight that dissolved my dreams and startled me into existence. The sun sat high in the morning sky. It must have been midmorning.

"That means I'm late. Why didn't I hear the morning bells?" I screamed as I jumped out my bed and grabbed my clothes tossing them on quick as possible and raced down the now crowded halls. I darted down the stair with my lightning speed to get to the opening ceremony at the inner courtyard. I forced my way against the grain through the entryway and out to the courtyard.

The first person I saw as I entered the green lawn filled with lightweight chairs lined across it was my Purple Guy.

He raised his eyebrows as I approached him, I guess he'd never seen someone as pretty as I.

"What type of armor is that?" he asked looking down at me.

"Ah, leather. Why?" I replied.

"Well, I'm not positive but I believe that you may be bearing it in an incorrect manner."

"Huh," I said and looked down and saw that it was backwards, "Oh, this is how we wear it from where I'm from."

"And that would be?"

"Well, ah okay. I'm from Neverwinter but I was in a rush to get out here before the morning ceremonies and I put them all wrong but I wouldn't have if it wasn't for you…"

"Me?" He looked astonished, turned and walked away, "Blame it on the guy with horns."

Sharwyn walked across the podium, "This day, three years, two months and four days after our greatest enemy has been destroyed, we embark on a novel crossing, one that will challenge not only our strength and swords but as well as our spirits and acumen. This is a glorious day in the land of Neverwinter, a new beckon of light has been borne and we are her children. You are to be know as the first of many to be called Neverwinterian Warriors."

The crowd screamed at this statement and Sharwyn leaned back away form the podium for showmanship. As the cheering subsided she moved back and continued…

"This is the Neverwinter Academy, the second of its kind."

More cheers exploded.

"Welcome to your new home. You are the first one thousand that will train and develop into great warriors, eminent leaders and gifted scholars."

More cheers came as Sharwyn stepped away from the pedestal and Lord Nasher Alagondar marched up to it.

"As Lord of this city, I have seen us caught unprepared once. I shall never again be so unsuspecting of our enemies. You are to be the protectors of this land. Many of you have traveled from afar to come here. My…gratitude goes out to you. This is an immense opportunity for you to become somebody but let me say this- THIS IS NO CAKEWALK! You are here to work! You are here to fight for this territory and anything less will be…unacceptable."

A still hush fell over the crowd as Nasher search over the crowd with a callous glance.

"Do not forget why you are here."

**XOXOXO**

I received my course schedule after I heard teacher after teacher explain their lives in a nutshell. I had Alchemistry with a Mr. Jansen, I guess that I should have paid attention to the teachers as they spoke but hey, I was going to have to listen to them for four months straight so it really didn't matter. Second I had Basic Combat with Minsc, he was a former Ranger that had a friend named Boo but I don't think he came with the tall warrior. My third class was Vocal Accompaniment with Lady Tibitha of the Blacklake District, she was a large lady and a former great Opera star. My last class was Magical Arts with Mr. Takrath. I smiled as I looked at his name. He was going to pay for that little comment or non-comment he made. I would put all his other students to shame.

I went back to my room and was meet with the face off a black haired girl sitting Indian style on floor in the center of the room.

"Ah…I think you've got the wrong room…" I said walking in and sitting on my bed.

The girl just sat still.

"Hey Dali-Llama, scat before I have to make ya."

So didn't budge.

I stood up and put my hands on her shoulders. With speed like I've never seen before she grabbed my arm and kung-fu tossed me over her head. She jumped up as if she saw what happened instead of was the person that put me on my back, "Omigod, I'm so sorry. I was meditating and I probably like zoned out…"

"Don't worry." I said as I slowly stood up, "But I think ya may have the wrong room."

"Nope, 1005- South Quadrant. We're roomies, girl." Damn I thought I got two beds because Sharwyn liked me.

"Roommates?"

"Yeah, almost every student has one. It's so cool that you're mine," she said as she stood up.

"You've heard of me?"

"Who hasn't heard of Punkin Capernun, one of the heroines of Neverwinter. I even remember seeing you once in my hometown of Port Llast…"

"You're from Port Llast…"

"Born and raised." She held out her hand, "Akyrra Yomo, it's a pleasure to meet you."

I returned my hand, "Punkin Capernun, Bard Extraordinaire. What in Helm's Hold were you doing down there."

"Like have you heard of Feng Shui?"

"Is it a fighting technique?" I asked.

"No," she laughed so hard that the straps of her brown and gold tank top began to slid off, "It's like a modus operandi that engenders the energies and spirit of the room to generate a peaceful, harmonic sensation…it totally rocks."

I nodded my head as if I understood a word she said, "Okay…finish Feng Shui in the room. I'm going to take a nap."

"Its like noontime…don't you sleep at night."

"LIKE," I mocked, "I'm tired and I don't got anything else to do." I said as I plopped down on my purple blanket and tossed my big purple pillow over my head, "Nighty night."

**XOXOXO **

**_He stood there in front of me, violet eyes sparkling in the bright red sun as we stood between a pair of giant moss-covered boulder on either side of us. The short green spikes beneath of our feet seemed to lift us of the terrain. I ran my fingers through his purple hairs_****_…_**

**_"_****_Your so beautiful_****_…_****_it's the truth_****_…_****_I feel so weird just looking at you,_****_"_****_ He said as I pulled closer to him beckoning him to pull me up to him, to his moist lips. He pulled me up and our lips meet and we exploded_****_…_****_I felt like air. My feet tingled as I stood there in his embrace_****_…_**

**_"_****_Punkin._****_"_**

**XOXOXO **

"Punkin," I familiar voice interrupted my thoughts, "If you don't get up I swear I'll put my foot so far…"

"Shar." I said as opened my eyes to only see a purple realm.

Sharwyn grabbed my pillow from my arms, "Get the hell up, you're going to be late for your first class."

"Oh crap, what time is it?"

"It's only one. I came to see if you had lunch yet but I see that daydreaming about boys is more important, huh." Sharwyn said as she started to walk out of the door.

"I wasn't…I mean…I'm not…"

"Awww, my little girl is growing up?" Sharwyn taunted, "Get dressed and get to Jansen class, alright."

"Let me change and I'll be down."

"I see that you still have that thing for purple."

"And I still see that though you're engaged, you still need to meddle in the affairs of everyone else," I told her as I closed my door and began to figure out what I wanted to wear. This was going to be my first formal appearance. I opened my closet and saw the thin frame of Akyrra lolling across the wooden floor inside of it.

I began to say something but decided that it was probably best to just leave it alone. I grabbed one of my long dresses, purple of course. It lacy on sleeves and the overskirt was of the same material. The body of the dress was made of thick fiber, probably panther pelt or something closely related. It was my mother's. I hadn't been able to fit into it until recently, seeing as I began to have the chest to keep the composition up but the past year I've started to fill out so all her clothes began to fit me perfectly.

I closed the door and heard a small yelp from the dweller. I put on the dress and looked into my full-length mirror. I really was starting to look like my mother. My curly blonde hair with the bronzed highlights, my full cheeks and slender neck were just like hers. I felt a tear began to form.

"Don't cry," I heard from the closet floor, "Like we don't want to throw off the flow of the room do we." Even though I still didn't understand what she was speaking of, her tone comforted me. My mother and father died for me. They loved me and I vowed to not let their sacrifice go in vain. I stood up and marched out of the room and went down the ten fleets of stairs to my first class.

**XOXOXO **

**"**Hurry in kiddos," Mr. Jansen said as we all settled into our seats. "I'm Mr. Jan Jansen…"

A boy, human, in a green cloak raised his hand quickly.

"Yes, ah…" Jan looked at his list of students.

"Kalgar McMillen, I wanted to know how the last Ice Age was…" the brown haired boy said as he snickered.

Jan smiled, "It was very comfortable especially with the weather flogging away all the obtuse people other than your maternal figure."

Kalgar looked confused.

"No comeback?" Jan shook his head, "Sit down, now. Any other students have any wild comments." I looked at the six other students and none said a word. "Alright, as I was saying…I'm Jan Jansen and I'm here at this school teaching you rascals because the Misses thinks that the adventuring lifestyle didn't have all the glamour that I claimed."

We all laughed.

"So, I saw the ad in the paper and I thought to myself 'J.J. you can risk your neck trying to make ends meet or you can go wipe a few kids noses and get a cool thousand goldies a month. Can anyone guess what I picked?"

Kalgar stood up again with a huge grin on his face, "Your nose."

Jan walked over to the student and put his arm around his shoulder, "Do you know what a Rhetorical Question is?"

"Rhetoro…what?"

Jan smiled, "Come with my boy, you're going to be my 'Special Assistant.'" Jan set up some type of chemical set in four breakers and started to tell us the basics of chemical analysis. "Remember, never mix primary colors together. Assistant could you take the yellow and the red liquids."

A female halfling questioned, "But aren't those…"

"No, of course not." Jan smiled, "Now pour them both into that bowl," As Kalgar did this a small spark bubbled up.

The girl asked another question as she (and all the rest of us) rose up and ran to the opposite side of the room, "Is it going to…"

Just as she reached the wall with the rest of us, the bowl exploded into a multicolored sphere and made a sound so loud that it cracked the window above us.

"Good thing that those windows are unbreakable…" Jan said staring at the dazed student.

"Huh," Kalgar said.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"Huh."

"Class," Jan motioned us closer, "Let that go to show you what happens when you mess with a guy that's deaf."

**XOXOXO **

My next class I prayed was less exciting and since there would be no explosives I figured that it couldn't be. I was mistaken.

"I am Minsc." The tall ranger said as he held a small rodent in his hand, "And this is my assistant Boo."

I raised my hand.

"Yes, the little human girl in the flowing purple dress." Minsc said.

"Ah…Punkin Capernun. I was wondering if you know that your assistant was…well a rodent."

Minsc shook his index finger, "I see you are smart one but slightly mistaken. Boo happens to be a minuscule giant space hamster that's here to protect the world from evil with the aid of his most trusted companion…ME!"

I looked at my fellow students with the world's most confused look. They just shrugged their shoulders. "I'm sorry I asked…"

"Do not fret, there are no dumb questions but the one not asked, right?"

I shook my head. With these kind of teachers, I couldn't wait to get back to my room and have a sane conversation with Akyrra.

"Does anyone have any knowledge of weapons?" Minsc asked as I raised my hand high into the air. "What do you know?"

"I'm an expert at close combat," I said as I unsheathed my Patheon, "I was trained by the Hero of Neverwinter." Everyone gasped even Minsc.

"So you would be able to name the parts of your weapon…"

"Hilt, forte, foible, tip, edge, false edge, ricasso, tang and on the blade you have quillons, cross guards, counterguards…"

"Boo says he is in the presence of a weapon master. Why are you in the beginner's class?"

"Are you kidding me? Daelen teaches the advanced classes, if someone makes it out of his classes alive it will be a miracle." I said as he handed out the textbook we were going to train out of.

"The Art of the No Sword?" We all cried out.

"Yes, Boo says that before you can master the sword one must master one self."

I looked at the thousand-page tome, "Boo must have looked at the sleeve inside the cover."

"He did! How did you know?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "No reason."

**XOXOXO **

**"****DO-ME-FA-SO-LA-TI-DOOOOO!****"**Screeched the Tibitha, my vocal teacher as a dozen girls stared at her intently trying to figure out if she was trying to show them what they could become or if she was attempting to make them quit singing all together. "**If you want to BECOME a GREAT vocalist akin to MEEEEE! My instructions you'll have to LEARN to CONCEDE!****"**

She started to lecture on vocal range or something but I couldn't pay attention. I took out a scroll and began to draw my Purple Boy. He was so handsome and seemed to be sweet. I wondered why he looked the way he did?

"Miss Capernun," Tibitha called me out of my thoughts, "If you're going to ignore me while I teach you could at least have the courtesy to at least pretend to remotely interested."

"I was interested." I lied.

"Really, what was I talking about?"

"Ah…well, I said I was interested. I wasn't really listening to the lecture."

"Well, I'll let you know that you have a performance at the end of the week," Tibitha handed me a sheet of music.

"WHERE HAVE ALL THE COWBOYS GONE!" I screamed as I looked at the music sheet, "This isn't even in my range. I'm a first soprano and this is in baritone plus I don't sing songs with long notes and beat of this song is pathetic…"

She smiled, "I guess you'll have to study, huh."

**XOXOXO **

My last class and it was getting late. On normal days I'd be done with class by 2 in the afternoon but because of the morning festivities it was six when our last class started. Good thing that the next day we had off to get our materials we would need for the semester. My final classroom had two other students when I enter. A very tall girl that I found out was an half-orc named Treva. The sorceress had long pink hair, which I think was dyed and hazel eyes. She was talking to a dwarven mage named Yandor. He was short and stocky with gray-black hair and brown eyes.

"Is Jude here, yet?" I asked as I entered the room.

"Jude?" Treva snarled.

"You mean Mr. Takrath? In the Mage Department, we respect of teachers. I.E., we don't call them by their first names." Yandor informed me as I rolled my eyes and looked the room over.

"So is…Mr. TAK-RATH here?"

"No, he had to go to get some more textbooks. He'll be back. He said not to touch the things on his desk," Treva said pointing to the three scrolls and the wand on his writing table.

I walked up on looked at the wand. Just a Wand of Missiles, I've seen a million of those. And the first scroll was a Knock spell. 10 gold pieces at the Starry Night and I'd have one. The other scroll was an Animate Dead spell but I've seen skeletons summoned plenty of times.

The last scroll looked interesting. I had never seen one like it before so I looked around and saw that the two students were paying no attention to me. My hands began to sweat as I contemplated what to do.

I was just going to look at it. That WAS my job anyway… to learn about everything I see, right? I would just slide the ring off it and gaze at the words. It won't hurt anybody, right?

I grabbed it quickly and unsealed it.

**_Fire, fire everywhere _**

**_Bursts of flames without a care _**

**_Never quenched in their lair _**

**_Fire burn without a snare _**

A hand touched my shoulder. I jumped as high as I was tall and swore as I pushed the hand away.

"What are you doing," I turned and saw my Purple Boy, "Master Takrath wouldn't take kindly…"

"So now he's a Master." I said a bit frustrated.

"He is a Master in the Necromancy art of Pale Mastery," Purple Boy said as he picked up the scroll that I dropped. At that moment, Master Takrath walked through the door.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing? Are you aware of what you are holding?"

Meris shook his head no.

"That is a scroll for one of the most powerful evocation spells known to man. You could literally burn this entire Academy down in seconds if you learn to master that spell." The Master said as he walked to the front of the class and turned back around looking at Purple Boy still holding the scroll, "Meris Sesbane, put my scroll away and if I see you touching my things again, I'll see that Linu gives you extra chores."

"But I…" Meris began but stopped as he looked at me twirling my hair, "I apologize. It will never happen again…"

"That's right. If you do it again I'll make sure that you don't have fingers to ever touch anything again, understand?"

"Yes sir," Meris said as he looked over at me as I sat down and prepared for Master Takrath's lecture.

"Magical abilities are both a blessing and a curse," The Pale Master spoke as his small class of four superior students listened, "A small select few are capable of handling high level magic. With it you can literally change the world from controlling seasons to resurrecting the dead to even manipulating time itself. But there is a cost for everything that you do, especially if you don't concentrate, control and concede your own mind. You must…"

I rose my hand, "I don't understand, what do you mean by it can be a curse?"

"Magic can be controlled or it can control you. I have many acquaintances that cannot change their garbs without the use of a divination spell or cook without evocating elements. It has become a crutch. But it also can corrode one's mind. Let me rephrase that…it will corrode your mind. It probably already has begun."

"I don't think you can get destroyed by your own magic." I said.

"It happens all the time. Mages must have complete control at all times. They must be as monks at times of great distress because of the great power that exists inside the heart of them. The tales of great mages cast powerful and suicidal spells is evidence of these things…"

Meris stood up and said, "How do we counteract these state of affairs?"

"Unexamined history always repeats itself…" Punkin looked over to the purple tower as Master Takrath continued, "Careful study of spell crafting is vital. One must know where magic comes from, goes and what's power is used for."

Punkin's eyes grew close together, "That sounds like a lot of work."

"As usual, a bard is one hundred percent correct." He said as he handed out their oversized books and revealed their assignment, "Treva and Yandor you are two write a three page essay on what magic is and where it comes from," Then he turned to the standing pair, "Meris and Punkin you two are to write a three page essay on what should magic be used for. Due date is in five days "

I blurted, "Single-spaced."

"Of course and none of that calligraphy crap…it gives me a headache. Class dismissed." He said as the three mages slowly walked out of the classroom with their heads down.

Meris stopped just outside of the corridor and watched as I flailed her arms as if they were the snakes on a medusa's head at the back of Master Takrath's head. I noticed Meris' mouth begin to stretch as I turned and stormed toward the door.

"What are you smiling at," I spat as I brushed passed him.

Meris quickly stepped following me, "Has anyone charged you with having a quite pleasant countenance while articulate annoyance."

I closed my eyes, grinned and smiled, "I'm sorry I don't understand teacher's pet."

"What?"

"You're-A-Teacher's-Pet,"I said pointing into his chest.

"And you're a derelict…now that we've assigned our titles let's figure out how we are going to get this essay done."

"We'll I can't write it because Master Takrath says that he hates Bardic script…"

"Well write normal."

"Look at me," I said and wrapped my arm around his waist, "When have I done anything that's normal."

"What's with the arm?"

"You're my Knight in Shinning Armor, right. You saved me from the wrath of a great and powerful Pale Master…"

"Is this that new thing called sarcasm," jabbed Meris as he tried to pull his arm away.

I heaved him closer to me, "Walk with me to my room, alright"


	2. Chapter Two

_AN: Man, I didn't realize that my first chapter was over 5000 words long. I must really like this story. It's definitely going to be longer than what I thought it was going to be. Anyway, I wanted to warn people that this little chapter is filled with dialogue from only three characters…they were supposed to be short little things but they just got out of hand and this is what happened. So…on to my reviewers._

_**Firilya**- You are definitely going to see Meris/ Punkin dialogue and how things got started…and of course since neither of them are normal, they have an abnormal relationship from the beginning. :-)._

_**Guan**- I know she's like a female Tomi on Ritalin, scary in deed. But Akyrra is even scarier…just read._

_**Tash**- I'll be careful with Jude (he's not in this chapter though.). And when have my characters been OOC. Don't answer that. Laterz._

Meris Senbane. He must easily be the most indescribable person that I'll ever know. As we walked up the ten flights of stairs upward to my bedroom, he seemed to wrapped up in his own thoughts, lost in his own little world and frequently looked down from his little world to see if I was trying to peer into it. He caught me a few times but I continued my research of his expression and countenance until we reach my doorway when he looked down again to catch my looking up at him.

"I'm not a monster," he said quietly…almost sadly.

"I never said you were. You just look so cute when you're deep in thought, I'd just rather not interrupt you."

"I wasn't thinking to myself." He defended.

"I never said you were," I grinned.

"You just said…"

"That you look cute when you're thinking…I never said you were cute just now."

"You implied it though…"

I smiled and changed topics, "Master Takrath really is trying to kill us, huh. I didn't knew that I was put in a weed out course."

"Are you talking about that little essay?" Meris looked woefully at me and shook his head, "It's not that tough."

"For a teacher's pet, maybe not but I'm just a normal girl…"

"That's not what Linu said about you."

I wanted to know how he and Linu become acquainted enough to talk about me but my ego took over, "What did she tell you?"

"That she never knew of someone with as many talents, that you're a blessing in everyone's life you meet and that you probably don't even know the limits of your abilities."

I smiled proudly, "So I guess you must be impressed, huh?"

"Not really," my smile dropped, "Linu is different from most people…she thinks everyone is good natured at heart…I think you're not as special as those around you claim. But you might prove me wrong…"

"I will prove you wrong." A thought came to my head, "I'll do this essay myself and Master Takrath will be jump out of his skin."

"I don't think you can do it…I mean a fourteen year old girl…" Meris rubbed his chin.

"I'm fifteen and you'd better drop the sexist act or you'll end up somewhere dark and dirty…catch my drift."

"Yeah yeah. Go ahead and do it," Meris smiled, "You know you're cute when you're angry…I'm going go my room. And if you change you're mind about the essay, let me know."

As he walked away I released what had happened. I had been conned. I'm usually the one that does the conning; this guy definitely was more than that the eye revealed. Meris Sensbane, the smooth talker.

"JERK!" I screamed and punched open the door to meet the meditating form of Akyrra sitting in the middle of a completely rearranged room. Other than the addition of candles and a large bronze torch-lamp that was twice my height, she had pushed the two beds together.

"Ah…Akyrra." I said as I cautiously approached her, remembering the trip she sent me on that morning, and tapped her gently on her shoulder.

No response.

"AKYRRA!" I screamed into her ear and she remained motionless. What's with this girl, I thought.

"Akyrra your aura is trying to escape," I joked and sat down right next to her Indian style and began to think about my day. My teachers are insane. I have a huge essay due and I have to recite the world's worst song. Then my mind wondered to Meris…my mysterious Meris. Why did he take the heat for me touching Takrath's stuff? He didn't seem to like or dislike me…but he did walk me to my room and had already talked to Linu about me. He was definitely a mystery. I looked at the setting sun outside of my window, it looked so sad…all alone in the sky and leaving behind the mountains.

"Why does the hummingbird hum?" Akyrra asked with her eyes still closed.

"I don't know."

"He forgot the words," Akyrra laughed and jumped up, "I'm all done with my mediations for the day, are you done too?"

"I wasn't mediaiting. I was just thinking…"

"About your boyfriend?" Akyrra interrupted.  
"No, I don't have one…"

"Oh," Akyrra played with the straps of her shirt, "I thought a cute, popular girl like you would like totally have more boys than she could count."

I continued to look at the sunset, "Guys are intimidated by me."

"I so totally know what you mean, like this one time…back in Port Llast, I had this guy that was totally I into me. He even wrote me love letter and picked me flowers and junk but then he found out that I was a monk and could totally kill him ten times before he hit the ground and I never heard from him again. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, totally weird," I mocked and started to move my bed.

"I know chica," Akyrra said looking at me with a raised eyebrow, "Don't move that, you'll kill the flow."

""I'm prone to slash things in my sleep," I lied.

Akyrra grimaced, "I guess it's your room, too. Just keep it on that wall, we've got to like keep the balance."

"Yeah the room needs to be stable."

Especially since you're not, I added in my head.

"I had such a totally tough day. Like my body feels like I swam across the Dark Lake but I totally know that my Ki is going to go through the roof after Master Grimgnaw is done with me."

"I've got a huge paper due and I've got to memorize a song…"

"What song?" Akyrra asked with a smile on her face.

"Where Have All the Cowboys Gone. It's such an…"

"Amazing song. It's like the best song in the whole wide world."

"I guess they took your kibbles but left the bits." I said under my breath.

"Huh."

"Nevermind."

"So about that boy…" she said and sat down on her bed which was trimmed in a fuzzy pink fabric.

"You mean Meris. He's a jerk in my last class," I said with a half-smile, "He just helped me out of a situation."

"Oh, that's good. I heard some things through the grapevine and he probably wouldn't be the kind of guy you'd want to hang around with."

"And that would be because…"

"He's half-demonic of course." Akyrra said with a straight face. I guess that's way he looks the way he does. Interesting.

"So what."

"So what! So like he's evil. I don't know if you know but all demons are bad news. Totally."

"Isn't that a bit prejudice and aren't monks supposed to be tolerant."

"Like I am tolerant, that's why I didn't sign the petition to have him removed from the school." She said and played with her long black hair putting it into a braid.

"There's a petition."

"Yeah," Akyrra said with a small frown that match my own and then plopped backwards onto her bed, "I'm going to get a little shut eye, 'kay."

"Sure," I said and stood up and changed into a pair of black and purple plaid pants with a black shirt. "I've gonna go to the library and study a bit." I said as I left.

"Cute look, I hope you end up back here tonight," she teased. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the sixth floor library. I enetered the huge, stuffy room filled with shelves and shelves of books, more tables and chairs than necessary. It would be a wizard's daydream. I grabbed a book about the origin of magic and moved to the darkest corner I could find. Then I noticed his purple skin shinning even in the dark air of the library.

"Are you lost?" he muttered not taking his eyes off his book.

"No, I am not." I said and sat in front of him, "Is it true?"

Meris' head raised and his eyes widened, "I don't know what you are asking about but most likely…yes."

"Are you half-demonic?"

"Daemonfey I believe is the term you looking for. See, I knew it was true."

My eyes exploded with life, "You're a deamonfey. That means you're half-elven and half-demonic…"

"Yeah, that's kind of how it works out."

"But how's it possible. Most of your kind is aborted or worse."

"I know. I'm just lucky."

"Are you evil?"

"There is no good and evil…there's just life."

"So…is…that…a…NO?"

"That's a I wouldn't kill someone for no reason."

"But you'd kill someone?"

"If need be."

I smiled and leaned on the table, "I would too," and smiled then began to read.

After about ten chapter of consecutive reading, a personal best, I looked and was meet by a Meris smiling into the book he was reading.

"What are you reading," I asked trying to peek under to see the cover, unsuccessfully.

"It's tome about Selune Moonbow…Linu gave it to me."

"How exactly are you and Linu acquainted," I asked.

"Acquainted," the wizard smiled, "Impressive vocabulary…"

"You're trying to flatter me again. Are you related or something?"

"She's one of my mother's friends. She's sort of my guardian right now."

"Why?"

"Because my mom is overprotective. Sometimes I wish I had a sibling," Meris said.

"I'm an only child too but my parents are dead. My mom was a physician and my father worked as a guard but that was ages ago. Have you meet you're father?"

"I don't want to talk about my father."

"Why not-tired."

"Emaciated." Meris said coolly.

"Did you know that they are starting a petition…"

"To expel me? Yeah, I know about it," Meris chuckled and closed his book, "Did you know your name is on the boys bathroom wall?"

"What!" I quickly hide my rage, "What did it say?"

"I…I don't want to say."

I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth, "What. Did. It. Say?"

Meris stood up and tried to walk away as he said, "It was nothing, really."

I gracefully leaped over the table and barricaded the tall wizard with my arms between myself and a large oak shelf behind himself, "Tell me what the hell it said. NOW!"

"Shhh." I heard from somewhere.  
I looked around and saw the librarian looking scornfully at me, I ignored her and said to Meris, "Tell me."

"It only mentioned you were temperamental."

"That's it." I looked into his eyes.

"Yeah and," he mumble the rest of the statement so I couldn't understand him.

"If you don't tell me, I'll make sure you'll regret it…"

"It said you enjoy the company of other females…not in those words, obviously." Meris said and started to snicker a bit.

"AND YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY…"

"Shhh!"

"YOU Shhh!" I screamed and saw the librarian get up. Slowly she started to make her way over to us.

Meris whispered, "You're going to get us kicked out."

"I'm not going to get kicked out…I'm Punk…"

"Punkin Capernum," the librarian said, "Headmistress Sharwyn told me about you and your little…escapades and I'm going to have to ask you two to quiet down…"

"And if we don't," I turned around and said.

"Leave now!"

"But." Meris said.

"Leave," said the librarian.

"But I was joking," I smiled with all the charisma I could muster.

"LEAVE!" she screamed, "Before I involve the Headmistress."

"Alright," I said, "But he started it."

"I did not."

"Did so."

"I believe I did not."

"Just leave," the librarian pushed both of us toward the door.

Meris grabbed his book and said, "See you in class." Then he left.

I stuck my tongue out and exited through the opposite doorway and made my way back to my room…with her.

XOXOXO

"Your spirit seems disturbed…are you okay?" she said as she awaked after I fell back on my bed.

"Do you think I'm odd?" I said and looked over at her face which was cover by a brown substance and a pair of cucumbers over her eyes.

"No…does this have to do with what everyone is saying about you?"

"You know about it…"

"I am like the most popular monk in the academy, of course I've heard…I hear everything."

"So you heard that I…"

"Totally but don't worry, my oldest sister is butch (gay) and she's still pretty normal…"

"I'm not gay."

"Oh…then those people must be lying." No, really. She mustn't be the Academy's genius, "I just figured that you were because you don't have a boyfriend and really didn't show much interest in any of them." I threw my pillow over my head.

"So since I'm pretty and not boy-crazy blonde, I have to be queer, girl loving blonde. So a person cannot like no one…"

"I don't think so…unless you're on a celibacy quest. I've figured out a few ways around those rules though. I could give you some pointers?"

"No and hell no."

"So…you like do like girls?"

"No, I like guys but not every freaking guy." I paused thinking, "I want be with someone that'll treat me special."

"I understand." This should be good, "You thinking about turning this Sensbane into your bitch."

"My what?"

"You know, your bitch, a person that like totally does anything you tell them to," I threw my pillow at her head but she quickly deflected it.

"I don't want a bitch. I want someone that's not a jerk and they'll be with me forever."

"Good luck with that, guys only want three things T. And. A."

"Not all guys just want that…"

"So you're looking for a fott freak, huh."

"I think I'll end our conversation on that note. Goodnight."

Akyrra blew out the torch-lamp, "Suit yourself, my your chi rest peacefully."

_**XOXOXO**_

_The cold, crisp air chilled my normally pale cheeks to a rosy pink as the strong breeze rustled the evergreen branches above pulled my frizzy blonde curls from their french braid so that they were free to dance across my face. The soft padding of my purple padded boots echoed loudly in the quiet flower field as I ran. Everything was so quiet and perfect…until he appeared._

_Meris Sensbane…the bane of my existence…I couldn't even dream without him interrupting me…_

"_Your hair looks better braided," he said as I stopped and starred up into his depthless purple eyes._

"_You look cuter when you're not talking," I said and he grabbed me around my waist._

"_It was a compliment…I don't want anyone but you…"_

_The birds began to chirp, the trees started to hum and even the sun itself sang. My heart swelled over as he picked me up and we started to sing…_

"_Kiss me out of the bearded barley  
Nightly,beside the green,green grass  
Swing,Swing,swing the spinning step  
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress"_

_The world bursted into vivid colors almost as if the sun moved closer to us and everything began to sing...  
"Oh,kiss me beneath the milky twilight  
Lead me out on the moonlit floor  
Lift your open hand  
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance  
Silver moon´s sparkling,so kiss me"_

"_Punkin..." Meris slowly said pronouncing each letter._

"_Meris." I said leaning my head into his shoulder as we fell down into the grassy knoll._

"_I want to tell you something."_

"_Yes."_

"_I..."_

"_Uh huh."_

"_I think it's time to get up."_

"_What?"_

_**XOXOXO**_

"It's time to get up, Punkin. " Akyrra's face appeared before me. Just what I needed to start my day with.


	3. Chapter Two Point Five

_AN: This is the other half of what was chapter two…it was too long to put up as one but I guess it could be a chapter by itself…hope you like it._

_**Guan- **No jude…sorry he's in chapter three…I think he has the first speakingline. I really like the rumors part too… but I stole them from my first day of High School so it's not that amazing (and no I wasn't the one the rumors were about, LOL)_

_**Firilya**- I loved Punkin getting a piece of her own medicine since she's usually the deceiver. Meris is about the only person that can pull the wool (or hair whatever) over the bard's eyes. Akyrra was made after I drank why too coffee and thought it would be cool to make a valley girl monk. LOL. :-)._

_**Tash**- I'm glad that you like my dialogue…my characters got away from my a bit so I've got to give them some props too. _

_**WitchWolf**- I think the idea of an Academy is pretty dumb as well. When I first NWN, I was totally disappointed that the plot sucked so terribly in the beginning…especially Fenthick making you wait a week to start an important quest. But I'm not talking about that. Punkin and Akyrra's dialogues were so much fun to write "Like you know whatever." LOL._

**Chapter 2.5 **

"It's time to get up, Punkin." Akyrra's face appeared before me. Just what I needed to start my day with, I thought to myself.

I looked around at the dark room with only the torch-lamp giving light, "What time is it?"

"I'd say it's like six in the morning, chica. Why do you ask?"

"Because the sun hasn't come up and it's dark as a Yuan-Ti's heart, that's why."

"Oh…I just wanted to know if you like wanted to go for a jog with me."

This girl was off her rocker, I wonder if all monks were like this. But I really wasn't that tired and going back to sleep wouldn't work. I needed to do something, maybe a little jog would inspire a new song to come to me…what's the worse that could happen.

"Sure Akyrra, let me get ready." I grabbed some knee length shorts and an old shirt and threw them on as Akyrra waited outside the door for me.

I walked out and saw the contorted face of the monk, "We're going for a jog not changing a horse's hay…what's with the rags?"

"I didn't know that I was going to a fashion show," I said as I looked at her jewel bodysuit that ended at her mid-thigh.

"Suit yourself, but that's why everyone says what they say."

I rolled my eyes and we made our way down the stairs to the gates of the Academy.

XOXOXO

There was a small group of people congregated at the exit…they appeared to be dressed similarly to Akyrra. As we got closer I noticed that the two other girls were dressed exactly like her and the threeguys had similar outfits but seemed a little looser.

"Hiya guys," Akyrra said in her cheerful manner. They all mumbled half-asleep at the greeting, "This is my roommate Punkin Capernum, she's like totally famous and she wants to work out with us."

WORK OUT! I was under the assumption that I was jogging. I didn't know much about monk workouts but I knew that I didn't want to be involved. "Ah…Akyrra, I've got to go…I think I didn't hang the wisp back up on the wall…"

"We don't have a wisp in our room," Akyrra laughed and grabbed arm and dragged me over to the five sleepwalkers, "This is my class…we are monks of an ancient order of Shenron. Have you heard of them?"

"A bit, I am a Bard Extraordinaire, right." Akyrra smiled a bit, "They are monks with draconic blood and study the way of the great guardian, Shenron…I think that many think of it as the forger of the world as we knew it."

"That pretty close…" said a guy with long blond hair who seemed a bit older than the restsaid, "We train to protect all things nature…similar to druids and rangers but not their extremity. We also focus on Shenron's entire creation; earth, wind, water, moon, sun, wood and spirit."

"Oh," I said and looked at his necklace with a gold ball hanging from it, "What's that ah- I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"I never threw it," he laughed and held his hand out, "I'm Instructor Bardock and this is just my good luck charm. This is Theo," a short-haired young boy nodded, "Cami," a gold with blond bangs and long brunette hair twiddled her fingers, "Maxine," a tall girl with very short spiky pink hair blinked, "and my son Bardock Jr," the skinny boy to his left smiled at me.

"Well, I'm Punkin Capernum, as you all already know and I thought I was just going for a little jog…"

"We are going to jog," Maxine snorted, "And I doubt that you'll be able to keep up…monks are able run faster than normal humans, you know."

"Well," I said feeling my ego take over again, "I'm no ordinary human…and I'm sure that whatever you do to train will not be too strenuous for someone of my physique."

Maxine shrugged and motioned for everyone to line up in two lines, boys on one said and girls on the other. Akyrra pulled me and I was placed between her and Cami. Bardock moved to the front between both lines and began to run in place for a moment to create a rhythm for us to follow.

At that moment, feeling my legs spark with new life, I remembered that the last time I actually ran was in the Source Stone…three years ago. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

We ran swiftly through the town and into the forest of Neverwinter, along the river. I pleaded with my lungs to stay inflated as we trotted across the forest floor with as much speed as on horseback.

I wanted to stop but every time I thought about it I looked up to see that little pink-haired witch in front of me…I wasn't going to quit until my body did. As we ran I started to see the world in a different manner though. In the pre-sunrise world everything seemed new and diverse, everything had a chance at becoming what it wished to be. The trees could become greener, the flower could smell sweeter and the animals had new hope to survive another day…this is what life was about…making it to another day and it quickly approached.

Suddenly we all stopped and Bardock said, "Okay guys, sun's about to come up, this were we'll meditate."

My feet thanked me as I stopped and looked around for somewhere comfortable to sit down. I looked around and found a cliff side. I looked at the sun as it peeked over the mountain top painting the dark sky with splashes of yellows and oranges and warming the night air with golden breezes. I listened to the morning sounds, the crickets called out, the hummingbirds resonated a new song, and even the owl was bidding the night goodbye as it made it's nest ready for it's slumber. Then I heard the most peculiar noise, it sounded like chants…dark chants. I had to find out what it was. I closed my eyes and moved closer to the sound as it grew louder I opened my eyes and the he was in all his beauty.

"Now I know you're talking me," Meris said as he in between a pair of trees without a shirt on. I would never forget seeing him this way, though he seemed scrawny without any constraints over him he was very muscular…if I were more like Akyrra I would have easily fawned over him.

"I was just out jogging…what are doing out here and topless to say the least."

"This is part of my training, you know what we are here to do…it's an old concentration exercise…"

"Talking to yourself without a shirt on is a why to strengthen your mind. I'll never understand you mage types." I said and noticed a swarm of bees circle around him. I spotted the X on his chest painted gold…I was guessing it was honey. He must be crazy, I thought and sat on the ground and watched him. He stood straight up and slowly moved his finger pointing it at his chest. Methodically he fired a tiny red beam on energy at each bee, never moving as he chanted his spells. Each time a bee fell he became stiffer, more focused and I grew more frightened.

I've never been afraid of anything, we would I be afraid if something happened to this jerk, I thought to myself. I felt a song forming inside of me so I did what any self-respecting bard would do, I wrote it down…

_Delusional_

_I believe I can cure it all for you_

_Coax or trick or drive or_

_drag the demons from you_

_Make it right for you purple beauty_

_Truly thought_

_I can magically heal you _

_You're far beyond a visible sign of your awakening_

_Failing miserably to rescue_

_Purple Beauty_

_Drunk on ego_

_Truly thought I could make it right_

_If I could kiss you one time to_

_Help you face the nightmare_

_But you're far too poisoned for me_

_Such a fool to think that I can wake you from your slumber_

_That I could actually heal you_

_My Purple Beauty_

_Poisoned and hopeless_

_You're far beyond a visible sign of your awakening_

_Failing miserably to find a way to comfort you_

_Far beyond a visible sign of your awakening_

_And hiding from some poisoned memory_

_Poisoned and hopeless_

_Sleeping Beauty_

"What are you writing," I jumped as the wizard appeared out of nowhere behind me. I think I just got to involved with write my thoughts down.

"It's nothing," I lied.

"Is it about me," Meris asked.

"N-N-No."

"I can see it in your eyes, it is about me," he face grew sad, "You think I'm out of my mind, too."

"No I don't!" I said and looked up at him as the rising sun looked back at me, "I think you're a bit different and you're more than you seem but out of your mind no."

"You don't know anything about me, how can you say all of that…"

"A bard's nature instinct is to study people, their movements, the way the carry themselves and most of all their eyes," I looked into his purple pupils them seemed depthless, limitless, "Your eyes reveal a lot about you."

"What do mine say?"

"You want to be more than what you are. You have more confidence than you show. That no matter what happens that you must bee true to a promise to yourself…"

"And that promise is?"

"I don't know but from what I see, you want to be a stronger mage. I'd guess you know that difficulties are in store for your future."

He stood still for a moment not saying or doing a thing then he grabbed his shirt and said, "You're much wiser than you appear…perhaps you are more like the Punkin Linu told me about." With that said he disappeared into the trees…my mysterious Meris. I wonder what weighs so heavily on his heart and what made him seem so lonely.

"Punkin!" Screamed Akyrra and I ran to her voice. I was meet with the six monks fighting a shadowy creature; it was large probably twice my height and as most shadows are, he was semi-transparent.

Bardock deflected a black orb that was fired at him and said, "We can't land a hit on him…I doubt it's from this plane…are you able to cast any magics."

I chanted a group of invisibility spells on the six of them as quickly as possible, "Go back to the Academy and get help! I'll hold it off." _I wished I had enough magic in me to cast an invisibility spell on myself._

"But!" Bardock said.

"Don't worry, I've dealt with worse that this." _When._

"You five go back…I'll help her out," Bardock directed and Akyrra and company ran off. The shadow looked down at me and raised his clawed hand. He slashed downward at me but I flipped backward pulling out me blade, Patheon. I gripped the hilt with both my hands and took an offensive stance as he moved in for another attack. I cross-slashed him across his gut…nothing happened. I tried to think of how to deal with a shadow creature. He started a barrage of physical attacks on me as I stepped back and defended myself from all of them with my rapier.

"Do you have any ideas of how to take of this problem, Bardock?" I asked as he was focusing his energy inward with his fist clenched.

"I'll try to disable him with my Ki-energy." His body started to glow with a yellow light and he started to shake a bit then punched the air in front of him causing a stream of energy to flow forward on directly hit the shadow…

The shadow fell forward as I rolled out of the way and sprinted over to the exhausted monk, "Did that do it," he asked as I caught him when stumbled forward.

"I think so but we nee…"

Bardock threw me to the side on to the ground as a black orb hurled into his chest and exploded into a blast of prismatic light. The shadow stood tall with red eyes glowing and his hands burning with a gray steam.

"Bardock!" I screamed. No answer. Okay here goes nothing, I thought and dug my nails into my rapier. The shadow leaped in the air and flung his claws at my head. I ducked and ran my blade into him…through him was more like it. I was starting to hate this thing. That's the last time I caught without my scrolls, I told myself.

The shadow relentlessly pummeled me with physical attacks that put me into safe-my-life mode and I continued to block, duck and evade his attacks. I could tell this was really angering the monster…I had to keep it up. I took my defense stance and defend myself from the black monster but I guess he had found a flaw in my seamless block scheme and landed an attack on my chest causing me to fall to the ground.

I sucked in all the air I could as I laid on my back and prepared for more clawed damage.

"DIE." The shadow said as he raised his claw high into the air and just as he brought it down to plunged deep into my chest a beam of red light hit him in the head and caused him to tumble backwards.

"Punkin." Meris' voice beckoned, "Move back."

I attempted to stand and fall back down, "I can't."

"Move or you'll end up in the spell." He warned.

"I can't," I said and clamped my fingers into my sword.

"Just let that stupid sword go!"

"I can't."

"Do it, I can't let this thing get near the town," he pleaded. I looked over at him his eyes seemed to swell as he started to chant.

"Just do it. Kill it." I said as I clutched my bloody chest.

"Not if you're going to get hurt."

"I'll hurt you later okay…just kill this thing…Ican't do it myself."

With that I swear that I saw a tear roll down his face as he cast a spell that cause my see nothing but darkness then I felt my body go limp and the last thing I remember was Meris carrying me…my mysterious Meris…to my rescue again.

* * *

AN- I cut out a lot of the fight scene with the Shadow (not me, LOL) because I didn't think it was three-page important. I hope it didn't seem like an easy fight...it wasn't but I'll let you see that in the next chapter. :-), Laterz. 


	4. Chapter Three Part One

AN- Sorry I haven't been reading or posting of what…four or five days, man. I've caught the dreaded plague of the world…the flu. But don't worry I'm feeling better now. Anyway the real notes- I've been told over and over and over again that I'm obsessed with 'The Big Show.' That I'm addicted to the final act…I need everything to burst and explode…I guess that everyone that told me that is correct. I've over looked a lot of small details to get to the end…my goal after I had my outline for this story was for it to be under 15000 words…but it's going to be at least twice that long, mainly because of the person telling the story…Punkin. Bards are so long winded. Anyway, I wanted to say that the main reason I cut some of the fight scene was because it was HUGE in my eyes but there's going to be many more fight scenes and I'll be adding length to those okay. :-). This is only half of what chapter three is...since it's so huge. I'll post the other half tomorrow or Thursday...depending on how I'm feeling. (code- for not throwing up). Now my adorning audience...which YOU too could become part of my merely expressing your own opinions in a patented 'Review' (I just wanted to say that.)

**Fomy**- The mediating thing was actually partly inspired by the way I write…I have my music going, headphones on sometimes and just sit or lay down and write like crazy ignoring everything…Punkin even has these moments. And I borrowed some characters from BG and BG 2 for the school because I was too lazy to come up with good teachers…I think Sharwyn would the same thing, LOL. :-).

**Guan**- To Jude- don't worry Linu's still single maybe you two could share a drink or cut Meris' fingers of together…Linu accidentally of course, LOL. –Guan- I think that the woods are a great place to live…but everything has their dangers. Neverwinter has its own share of problems, as well. I'd probably rather live in the Netherese Mountains though…I'd love the view. I'll mop up those slips…I've seen many of them.

**WitchWolf**- Sorry for not reading your 2 new chapters until today, and as far as six in the morning, the early bird gets the worm. LOL, I'd rather have pancakes and bacon, though. But I used to hate getting up early…then college came…and I've got my first class at 7 in the morning…I'm sure I look like a zombie. Damn those freshman weed out classes. But who do you think those monks run around the scene with near DM speed… I don't think Punkin will be converting any time soon…or ever actually. Anyway, I didn't have to edit my poem at all… thank the computer god, DELL.

**Firilya**- I'm glad that you like Meris…still. And as far as everyone looking at him as a monster…well, people are so fickle because soon, (this chapter) they all be singing his praise, minus Jude but he's hard to please I guess, since he 'SAVED' the Academy.

**Tasharene**- Don't worry about reviewing late…I've been doing that as of late…I think I've got more than ten stories that I haven't read in my inbox…but I'll get around to 'em. The biggest part of fight scene that I have a problem with is using terms that I'm not sure everyone is familiar with since I used to fence when I was younger, I'm a self-asserted rapier fight master, even though I was horrible. And I'm glad you are waiting impatiently for the next chapter because…here it is…

Chapter Three

I was awakened by more noises than the inside of a whirlwind could create; my body hurt like hell itself and I didn't want to look down at my chest to see the extent of the damage… I knew that I had a wound the size of Waterdeep across it. But the funniest thing about all these feelings was that I felt content…nearly happy…about all of this. I didn't know why I felt like this until I started to listen to all the voice from the room that lay ahead of me…

"Monks trying to cast spells…" Master Takrath's voice boomed, "And in the Neverwinter Forest of all places…what has this world come to?"

"It wasn't a spell," the still small voice of Bardock lightly echoes into my room, "We were summoning a spirit of a great oak…"

"I think you've learned that one should leave things of the forest to those that man it," Jude said, "Your heroics could have killed all of us. I could only imagine what kind of… havoc this malefactor could have manifested if it made it here alive at night."

"I already apologized…" Bardock argued.

"I'll see that Master Grimgnaw is aware of your ignorance…pray to your Shenron that you don't meet his gauntlet and meet his lord of death," I heard a pair of steps leave.

Then I heard his voice…the resonance of life itself, "Matser Takrath, I do not think that the monks meant to do what they did…"

"I am sure of that," the pale master said, "But we cannot change what has happened. We have a student that is wounded and could have been slained easily since she was ill-prepared for a fight with such a monster…"

"Punkin would not have been defeat," Meris said with a slight edge in his voice.

"Really," the Master wizard said, "I think those wounds across would speak differently."

"I'm not going to argue with you," Meris said and moved closer to my door.

"And of course I don't want to either but Sharwyn here has put me in charge of finding out what happened out there. Speaking of that, could you explain the high levels of unnatural energy that seems to be radiating from her?"

"Well…I…ah…kind of messed up my spell."

"Interesting." _Interesting, that all he could say about it…I could have been killed. A 'how' or 'what happened' would be nice…I'm not sure if I think Pale Master are as interesting as I first thought._

"I tried to contain the blast on the creature but I…I could not control it and it…"

"Burst. Blew up. Exploded," Master Takrath finished Meris' statement.

"Yes sir. I tried…"

"Trying and doing are completely different. Anyone can try but only the strong 'DO'. So, she ended up in the blast, huh. She should really be dead." Now, I really didn't want to know what was going on inside of that Pale Master's head.

"She tougher than that…she did help save the city," Meris defended me.

"A little advice," the Pale Master said as he walked toward the door, "Don't let your emotions interfere with your ambitions, keep all things in priority."

"You did all you could have," the voice of Sharwyn materialized. Who else was in the room, the Shadow, himself.

"I should be the one lying half-dead,' Meris said as the sound on heels move closer.

"Meris Sensbane, we are all in great debt for your bravery and talents. You are aware that you are to forever be known as the student to defeat this Academy's first nemesis. I could hear the bard songs now." Sharwyn started to hum a repetitive triplet as she made her exit out of the room.

Then I heard the door begin to wobble open. _I didn't want him to see me this way, all bandaged up, as if I were some helpless feeble girl._

"Punkin," he said as he started to peer in, I hold my breathe and my body become as stationary as possible. "I guess I was hoping against hope that you were up…that you would prove everyone wrong." _Very tempting bait_ but I really wanted him to go away…but why. Did I feel faulty because I needed him to could to my rescue…Lena had saved me on numerous occasions…but this seemed different…my heart felt like it saw being hit with a sharp spearhead.

"I-I-I'm sorry."

_You did what was necessary, don't be sorry._

"I-I-I should have never read it."

_Read what?_

"I don't know how you know so much about me…"

_My song- now I will make sure that I hurt you later._

"There are so many things that I've done that I regret…things that I wish I could have back. I lie, I cheat and I'd probably steal if my mother was breathing down my throat almost every moment of my life." Then he paused and sat down on my bed next to me. It took all my power to keep from giving away my false resting.

But then a strange set of footsteps made it way to the room, "Sir, are you family?"

He slowly stood up and coolly said, "Do I look like family?"

There was a long silence and I the young girl looking over Meris than me then him again and then her youthful voice ended the silence, "Step-siblings, perhaps?"

Meris huffed something under his breath, I wish I could have made out what he said and took a few steps away from me.

"I'm just going to change her bandages, you can come see her again in an hour or so."

Meris said nothing and left.

"Bless you, good sir," her innocent voice came closer. I could see Meris rolling his eyes at the offhand comment. "Are you awake, ma'am?"

I said nothing eager for her to leave me alone. Sinc my mother was in the practice of medicine, I knew about the aides that tend to do all the things everyone else didn't want to and one word came to my mind. Daft.

I didn't hear anything for a few moments but I continued my act and remained motionless. But without notice, I felt my very skin being ripped from my own flesh. I sprang up an my eyes jolted open as I grabbed my chest.

"What the hell-" I screamed and looked at the huge pair of blue eyes of the extremely young girl looking back at me, filling with tears.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry. I-I-I was t-t-told you w-w-were unconscious. I-I-I didn't know…"

"It's okay. It's okay," I said trying to calm my own air-deprived body down, "It just hurt, aren't you supposed to pour a little alcohol, first."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that, they did mention that."

"Who's they?" I asked trying to get names of the people that were responsible for letting a little girl work on my wounds…I hoped that a kobold would be in the surgery room if I needed it.

"Linu's the head of the department…I'm the youngest cleric in the school. Kaelynn, you're twelve year old healer, ma'am."

"And I'm…"

"Punkin Capernum. One of the heroes of Neverwinter, a famed bard, and not to mention the fact that you're like the wealthiest person under twenty in the town."

_She's done her homework, I think I like this cleric. _"Do you know anything about my condition?"

"All I know is you were brought in here ten hours ago and that they were worried about you r wounds but they saw no internal damage as well as little damage to your mammary tissue…"

"Huh, mammary…" _I hate when people use words I never heard before._

"Your…" Taelynn blushed so hard that her peach skin turned beet red, "You know…"

I shook my head.

"Your…chest…things…you know, those pair."

Okay, Linu sent me a pre-pubescent girl, thanks. "My breasts are okay, is that what you're trying to say."

The girl giggled and shook her head yes. I was pretty sure I wasn't like that three years ago. "I'll change your bandages as quick as possible, okay."

"Sure," I said, "And watch my breast." I just wanted to she her giggle some more.

* * *

AN- That's it. I'm all medicating and I'm going to either sleep or go rollerblading (I probably blade better than I walk so don't worry.) I've been cope up inside to long...I might have to wirte something dark with lots of murders and assassinations and stuff...I've got to go...LATERZ. 


	5. Chapter Three Part Two

_AN- I don't have anything else to say…oh yeah I do. Punkin's dream is in here because I wanted let you see a bit of her past…I know normal people don't dream about the past but Punkin isn't normal._

_**Firilya-** sorry about the blue eyes thing…it wasn't on purpose. But Amberlee is going be here for Sharwyn and Nasher wedding, okay. Not a moment sooner (chapter five...the real one). And Amberlee wouldn't say the things that Kae does, so it's good for me that it wasn't her._

_**WitchWolf-** I'm sure you'll beat me to it…unless I do it in the musical -writes something down quickly.- I did mean to emphasis the running and than fighting thing… good eye. Punkin would have killed that shadow at full strength though.And other than breaking my wrist I've never been in a lot pain…I just writes good. :-)_

_**Guan-** Yeah, I'm surprised that I didn't have Sharwyn say something but she's got a lot to worry about. Anyway, that gag was pretty good…but it was better in my head. Anyway, I'm feeling better every than yesterday…I think I'll be fine, I'm tough. (where's my teddy bear?)_

_**Tasharene-** Yep my first review…all though I read them altogether, I did read yours first. I'm sorry to here about the story I don't even know if I was up to date on it…I'm so far behind on my story list. (three days behind, man.) Sorry it's so short but I didn't like it being 5,000 words a chapter. (Punkin talks too much…like most bards.)_

_Here it is the long await…

* * *

_

**Chapter Three (second half)**

I sat there thinking about the last two days…I had joined an academy run by a bard that couldn't figure out if she should use auburn or cerise on her hair and not to mention she thinks she ten years younger than she claims to be. My instructors had no formal training or informal ones actually, in any type of trade. And of course there was the fact that I've got a 'giant scratch' across my chest as this young cleric claimed. Worse of all, I was becoming weaker…because of this guy that appeared out of nowhere.

"Do I really need all these layers of wrap…I mean I look like a friggin' mummy," I complained.

"I doubt that. You only wrapped up around your torso and yes you do need all of it, we wouldn't want you to get hurt any further than you already have…" Other than the girl's aversion to the human anatomy, she was a great healer; careful with a pair of very nimble hands.

"What made you decide to become a cleric?" I asked her as she started to gather the old wraps.

"Wow, that like asking why the owl hoots…it's pretty much in my blood, my mom and dad are clerics so I wanted to be a cleric." She thought for a second, "I really like to help people, to make people happier, it's kind of like as I help people get better I get better myself."

At that moment I remembered the essay…I had a stroke of genius and asked her, "Could I quote you on that?" _This could be gold._

"Of course **you** can… quote every word I say," the awestruck girl said.

"Okay, I said and thought about what would create an interesting comment as I reached for my pack to get some writing materials, "Do you believe in good and evil?"

"Of course I do," Kaelynn said without a half a thought.

"Why?"

She thought for a second, "Because there are choices…positive ones. Ones that help the world become better and negative ones…ones that destroy the world." _That's just a_ _typical cleric comment, I want more than that._

"Explain positive choices, please."

"Well, I remember my mother saying that good is being completely selfless…denying you're body of all things that will damage your spirit. I don't know what that means exactly but I think that if you help people than you're denying your own self."

"So do you think magic should be used for good things only…to help people?" I asked with a half-smile.

She looked at her shoes and thought for a few moments, "I think magic is evil to begin with." _This is what I was looking for._ "Magic comes from within you…it comes from your spirit…it's a part of you and I think that people that use it are giving away a part of their spirit."

"So what you are saying is the magic is evil."

"Yep."

"Even if it's used to help people…"

"In the end…yes. Magic users become dependent on it…almost like an addiction and they loss themselves slowly…even if what they do is right in the end they aren't making themselves better…so they aren't making the world better."

"So you think that magic shouldn't be used for anything?"

"Nothing at all… everything you need is around you…magic just a way to take things in your own hands." _This girl has a pretty good head on her shoulders…she never even mention anything about god or gods to me…perhaps she knows my stance on that subject._

"Thanks, this is going to help me out a lot for my class." I said and tried to stand up and felt the wind leave me. _Damn all that running._

"Maybe you should lay down for a little while before you leave," she said as she tried to lead me back down on the bed. _That would be a good idea if I weren't as stubborn as a bull._

"No, I'm fine," I said and wobbled over to some clean clothes of mine with a note from Akyrra that thank me for my courage.

"I guess the stuff about your ego are right, huh," she said as she was leaving with a huge smile on her face.

**_XOXOXO_**

The rest of the day was uneventful, I went to my room and started my essay…I wondered if Master Takrath would like the ideas I expressed in it…especially the ones that weren't really my own. I did think hard about the subject of what magic should be used for as I thought about my whole ordeal, if people never used magic than shadow planes would never be opened so we wouldn't have shadow creatures. But with that logic we wouldn't have demons and that would mean we wouldn't have Meris…how could a creature like him be so beautiful and perilous at the same time. I wondered what Meris thought about the use of magic and if he meant all that stuff he said to me while I was faking a coma. What would have happened if Kaelynn never showed up? Soon after I got a page done I started to fall asleep and felt that I would dream wonder filled dreams…maybe it was the medicine that Kae gave me that caused this affect on me.

**_XOXOXO_**

"Now, Punkin, if you are ever to get this right you have to practice," my father said to me. "There is no point in learning anything if you don't develop it to best of your ability."

"I know, Dad, but I'm just so excited that you're finally teaching me." I had not stopped smiling since when my father had agreed to start teaching her how to use a sword.

He was moved that his only child would want to be a city guard like him. I was never the kind of girl that played with dolls or make up or any of that stuff…I wanted to fight…I wanted to be the prince doing the rescuing, and never even thought twice about being the weak princess needing someone to come to her aid.

I watched, eyes intent on her father, as he showed me another basic defensive move, a simple parry with a riposte. He came behind me and gently guided my tiny arms before stepping back to watch me do it on my own.

"Punkin, hold the sword higher or your head will be chopped off." He said with his always cool manner.

I laughed, "It might help in my defense if I weren't fighting with a wooden sword."

"You can use a real sword when you're older." He said.

"But, I won't kill anyone and it's just stupid to practice with a branch," I pouted.

"Darling, I would love nothing more than to train you with a real sword so that you will get the most benefit from this, but your mother would kill me and it wouldn't be the best idea to let an eight year old have a weapon…remember what happened when Caleb made you mad," he smiled. "Now, you keep practicing, I'm going inside to talk to your mother."

After her father left, I just sat down and looked at her practice sword. It was nothing grand, just some wood fashioned in the shape of a sword, but it meant more to me than almost anything in the world.

I stood there with a practice dummy twice my size and clenched my sword…my first sword and fought with all my strength. That was the day I decide that I wanted to be a heroine, and that I would make my father proud.

I still remember the shouts my father got from my mom about my new found recreation, as a physician she had seen too many 'youngsters' hurt from swordplay. It was her wish for me to become what she never could…a famous singer. I had the voice but I never like the music that I had to sing, I wanted to sing about adventure, about adventures, about ancient dragons and the lore of old. That's what I wanted to be and my father knew nothing would stand in my way of getting there either.

"Punkin," my mother sweet voice beckoned me into the oldest house in the Blakelake district, "I don't like this one bite."

"But mom."

"Hear me out…I've made a deal of sorts." She said.

My dad smiled slightly with victory on his face.

"You can practice with your wooden sword for one our a day as long as you keep up in your courses and you practice your singing half an hour a day, okay."

I jumped with joy and said, "I'll sing for the whole city if I get to learn to fight…to really fight." She must have been bribed with more from my father though. She was never this lenient. That was the way I remember my family.

**_XOXOXO_**

I heard whispers around me and opened one of my eyes. A shadow. I rolled of my bed and grabbed my rapier from underneath it in one motion and jabbed it forward.

The shadow jumped into the air and attempted a somersault but tumbled into a pile. Suddenly the torch-lamp fired on.

Akyrra stood over the limp body of Sharwyn, who was wheezing and said, "If I wanted to dodge and duck my way to keep my life I would have continued to adventure."

"Sorry," I said a bit embarrassed, "I thought you were a shadow creature."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're your old self still," she laughed remembering the multitude of times I tried harm her, "I wanted to know if you knew where Meris was."

"No I haven't seen him since I got hurt…why?" I asked.

"He's missing," Sharwyn said carefully, "I just thought that since you two were getting close that you'd know where he was."

"Did you check his room?" Akyrra asked.

"No, of course, that's it…his room. I would be tracking across the entire campus at midnight trying to find a purple giant and I never check his room," Sharwyn mocked.

"I'm just trying to help." Akyrra said.

"I know, that's what makes it more hilarious." Sharwyn half-laughed but I could see her intensity, she felt something strange was happening. "His roommate is missing too. That's why I'm worried, and I just thought that you might be able to help us but I guess you not…"

"I'm fine," I lied. My side throbbed from my little maneuver and I was still tired but I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't know that Meris was okay.

"You are not…"

"I said I'm fine. I beat he's out where he was last night when I saw him in the morning…" I said.

Akyrra jumped in, "The Neverwinter Forest, I beat he wants to know what else that tree has in it."

"Has in it?" Sharwyn asked.

"Nevermind." Akyrra looked around quickly.  
"What was in it the first time, Akyrra, " I asked her as I slowly walked over to her.

"I think…it might be a portal…but I'm not sure…" she said.

"A…" I said.

"Portal." Sharwyn finished, "This is serious, I need to get some people to scout the area." But I had other plans of my own.


	6. Chapter Four

AN- Okay first I wanted to say I borrowed the name Everiegn from somewhere that I've long forgotten but if I have a kid someday I want to him (or maybe her) that. And it's pronounce Evee-RAIN( with a heavy emphasis on the V). Anyway, what's in a name anyway? I skipped the part of the story of Punkin conning Akyrra into letting her go since I've already established that the monk isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. This is actually a chapter by it's self…wow my first one, but it is a bit shorter than the others.

_**Firilya**- I'm definitely pro-magic myself…but I think that Kae has a point on the subject. And I'd better have Sharwyn in character, I don't think I've written more lines for any non-MY character. :-)._

_**Tasherene**- I'm not normal either (I have dreams about the past a lot, also) so I can't point fingers. But I'll do it anyway. –points finger- I'll go fix the tense problem. If you couldn't notice I was thinking about showing third-person form Punkin but than I changed my mind but I guess my story didn't get the memo (and it wasn't picky, thanks). I know Punkin's too sly for her own good, this is just the tip of the iceberg for her, actually. I actually didn't think it was a cliffhanger when I wrote it…mainly since I was writing the next part but sorry…here's the next part and Meris is back. Huzzah._

_**Guan**- Yeah Jude is going to dust off the old (I didn't mean that old) charm book and put the moves on Linu and he might kill Nasher, too. I haven't decided. (just kidding Nasher's not going to die…yet. :-). ) And Punkin doesn't use magic to heal, she uses herbs and salves and crap (not real crap) like the healing kit in the game. She'd make a pretty funny cleric since she doesn't believe in god or gods or whatever that crap people come up with. :-). And everyone knows the clerics 'magic' comes from god or gods or whatever and it's their god (all that other stuff) working through them. Man read Fundamentals for Extremism, dude. –laughs and walks off-._

_Sorry I didn't let anyone get a chance to review yet…but I'll give you a :-), okay. –Still laughs- Here's your story._

**Chapter Four (whole part)**

This was completely illogical and if anybody else in this town had been lost and unaccounted for than I probably wouldn't give a gargon's horns but for some reason lurking deep in my heart I knew that Meris just wasn't out for one the nightly strolls that elves were accustomed to voyage on; deep inside I knew that something wasn't right. So here I was, bandages and all, creeping through the moss etched trees of the forest with only the moon as my companion. I stepped slowly for two factors, one was the impenetrable fog that surrounded me and the other was the issue of my body not being as up to the adventure as my spirit was. I just knew that I would fall asleep in Jansen's class in the morning.

I slowly followed the winding trail along the river's side remembering that it lead me to him that morning, though it seemed a lot different in the muted light that the moon gave me to work with as well as the fact that everything wasn't flying by me. With not else to do, my mind started to wander as I tried to remember the things that Ash taught me about tracking but I was sure I wasn't listening to her…so other things filled my head.

First it was my emotions, mainly over this guy that I hardly knew and how I was going extremely out of my way to assure myself that he was safe. Then I remembered my mom telling me about how her and my dad met while he was training to become a guard and she was studying natural medicine.

"He was so tall and actually had muscles back then…" she'd tease, "He always tried to stand up tall and make himself seem invulnerable but behind all his machismo, he was a softy…he was kind of like a walnut."

That's what Meris seemed to me, he's got this certain aura of strength around him but under the surface, he was a very susceptible person…most likely a hurt one also. I hoped that seeing me in pain didn't make him hurt more.

Now, what I am thinking. I've never cared for other people's feelings if I wasn't responsible. I never wanted to let down Ash or my parents but other than that if you didn' like what I did, I couldn't care less. If they didn't like me carrying around my wooden sword, screw them. My friends wouldn't care…but than again I didn't have a lot of friends…I was always happy by myself learning to become a great warrior. I knew that no one would care about you if you were weak, if you back down from obstacles and I had my mind set on becoming powerful. But what if people didn't or don't care about brawn and swordsmanship or fame; I've felt a bit of all those things and none would ever complete me…the only time I felt complete was when Meris was carrying…I still don't remember all of it but I do recall my feelings. Calm. Real. Secure.

I heard something ahead of me…it was a pair of voices far off. One was definitely Meris' composed and authoritive yet it seemed different almost distorted. The other voice was similar but different. It was male, I could tell that from the power that laid behind every sound but it was youthful and his tongue was strange, it was almost elven but it was sloppy, unkempt echoes that came to me and I almost knew that it was caused by anger roaring from it's owner. I double my pace, which still slower than I normally walked, and bushwhacked my way to the conversation.

"If I cannot get you removed from the Academy, then I'll just have to remove you myself…permanently," the angry voice shouted into the empty night.

Meris half-laughed as he said, "What is it that you have against me…is it because I am half-demonic…"

"And if it is…"  
"Then it is a unperceptive motive for a person of high intelligence to garner." Meris said as I marched closer, "By your own logic, Neverwinter should send all the half-orcs back up the mountain ubiquitously, since of course that is where they belong. And those darn little Halflings…"

"They've both proved themselves, your kind one the other hand have not…you in particular. I will not share a room with an evil creature such as you…"

"Well, I'd rather not be cope up with you either but Sharwyn told Linu that the dorm assignments are final…and anyway, I already made it a point that I don't sleep that much…"

"Nor do I," there was vemon in his voice and I felt that he would fire it soon. I tried my hardest to push forward and ignore the pain, "But that is not the issue at hand. I know the evil intentions that you have…you see Meris Sensbane, Doombringer, I've keep my eyes on you and I know all the spells that you prepare, your evil necromantic spells. Enervation, Animate Dead, Finger of Death…"

"So I get it now, you're not against half-demons…you just don't like me personally."

"When you put it that way…"

"So if I were a bow-wielding, leaf-sniffing, tree-hugging, squirrel-loving ranger as you are than you wouldn't mind me being around, right?" _Okay Meris was that a joke or are you losing your cool, I couldn't tell but I decided at that moment that pain or not I wasn't going to let this turn into a bloodbath._

"You are aware that no one is around and if something, oh let's say unfortunate where to happen, a ranger might be able put your corpse where no living thing could ever find it."

"If this is your way of goading a confrontation with me than I must decline the offer, I do have other, how should I put it, more pressing matters that I could attend to than to involve myself in some elfkin games." _Okay that's enough Meris_.

I finally fought my way through the fog to end up a steep ledge that led into a huge bowl that sat about forty meters inside the earth, it most like was a pond the feed from the river that was now dry due to the season. I had no idea what kind of situation Meris would be in when I was moving across the forest but now that I saw him just sitting on his knees in the middle of the crater hovering about a hands length off the ground, most likely practicing a levitation spell, I became less worried. The other guy in the crevice was dressed as most ranger are, green jacket and pants. His orange-silver hair cut across the scene but the only things that worried me was the bow in his right hand and his quiver filled with red-butted arrows. I tried to shout but nothing came out…I felt my throat and it was swollen most likely from all the heavy breathing that I had to do. I shook my head as I started to scale down the edge of the cliff…_you'd better appreciate me for this Meris_.

"Okay, you don't want to fight back. Just sit there…I'll kill you while you practice your black magic," the ranger said and with lightning speed grabbed an arrow from his back, loaded it and fired the feather-fetched fire stick at my Meris. I tried to scream but no sound came out of course and I nearly slipped from the wall but I regained myself and started down faster trying to get a good look at Meris. _I swear if this bastard hurt him, I'll rip him a new one…_

Meris didn't move as the arrow pierced his black jacket just above his shoulder blade, "You should really switch to a breasted model…I hear they are more accurate," Meris said and muttered a few magic words that knocked the red-tipped arrow off of him.

"That was a warning shot…the next one will pierce your heart," the ranger said and prepared his next shot.

"Everiegn," Meris said as he stood up, "Aim at me all you wish. Hope against hope that you'll be all to accomplish what you envision in your mind but I seriously doubt that you'll actually **kill** me." _Just shut up, Meris. What do you have a death wish, moron._

"You…you…you don't know me every well," Everiegn said as he pulled his elbow back.

"But I do. You see I have knowledge about a lot more than most people would think a simple-minded creature such as I should know. I'm well-versed in elven longbowing, since of course I was raised in an elven village and I've seen an elf kill a target at three hundred steps. But you…I can tell that you aren't as steady. True, I believe is the term…"

"I'm as true as I need to be…"

"I doubt it…your feet are not under your shoulders and there is way too much pressure on your thumb…"

"Shut up…"

"I thought you were going to take care of that matter." _One more comment like that and I'll go right back up this cliff._

Everiegn let the arrow fly through the air and it flew into the darkness.

Meris smiled as he still hovered, "See, I told you that you weren't doing it right. Do you want me to come over and help you out?"

The elf's face grew red as I came near the bottom of the cliff, I wanted to jump down but I didn't knew what was on the bottom since I wanted to keep my eyes on the boys instead of looking where I was going. _Now that comment makes me sound like a boy-crazy little girl._

The ranger walked closer to Meris and pulled a knife from his side, I decided that jumping would be a good decision now and did so.

"Okay, I'll let you now what else I now," Meris said still remaining still, "That band around your bicep is one that your people give out to those that have disgraced there family name…Everiegn Moonsong…"

"Shut up, you don't know a thing…"

"I no plenty…like how you allowed your family was captured by a dragon…"  
"Shut up," he dropped the blade as he covered his ears.

"And you weren't man enough to go and save them…that's why you are here. I knew plenty. I also know that you aren't even a full -blooded wood elf…your grandmother…"

"I said shut up," the ranger said as he swung at Meris but missed as the wizard floated an inch to the left.

"She a tiefling, am I correct. Of course I am since it's in your records at the school. So you don't hate me, no Everiegn you hate the person that burned those symbols across your body, your families most eldest member, you hate your grandmother…but you can't kill her…"

"Yes I can…" _Okay Meris was more resourceful than I thought, I guess I wasn't the only person that he asked around about._

I ran, well half ran, over to the two. I swear that Meris smiled the moment he noticed me but it quickly went away as he stopped floating and stood up.

"Okay, now I know your stalking me," he said.

Evereiegn looked at me with contempt and if I was aching all over I'd probably would have slugged him one but I wasn't up to it at the moment.

"My—throat," I scratched out.

"It looks red…maybe it's swollen?" Meris said as he looked at it. _You think._

"So who are you," Everiegn asked.

"Pun-kin Cap-er…"

"We don't have all night," Meris teased, "She's Punkin Capernum a…friend."

"Any friend of yours is an enemy of mine," Evereign said as he picked up his knife and put it back in his pack, "And since my element of stealth is going to be discovered soon I'll leave you two," and with those parting words the ranger disappeared into the night.

I looked at Meris, searching him over and remembered his shoulder and grabbed for his shirt.

"Ah…w-w-what are y-y-you doing?" Meris muttered as he tried to back away.

I quickly stepped forward and pointed at his shoulder, "It's hurt."

"N-N-No. It's o-okay." He said but I quickly threw his jacket off and his shirt followed.

"It's not likeI haven'tseen youthis way," I reminded him as I pulled out my healing kit and started to clean the old blood off his skin. I rubbed his tense muscles slowly, nearly massaging them with a smile on my face.

"Was this all just a ploy to get to touch me?" Meris asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and finished him up by wrapping a small bandage around it, "Do thinkit was?"

"With you…" he rubbed his chin, "I don't know."

I punched him on the shoulder that I just wrapped up.

"What was that for?" he said as he rubbed it.

"I told you I'd hurt you later," I said a smiled. Then I heard a commotion that reminded me of the opening day of the Blacklake Zoo, but I knew what it was. That stupid search party, and I swear if Akyrra told anyone I sneaked out, I'd make sure I rearranged here chi.

"That's everyone else isn't it," Meris said and shook my head yes, "And I'm sure you weren't suppose to be out, huh." I shook my head no. Meris said some words too quickly for my to capture them but with a quick jolt we both were floating over the forest…together. Meris to my rescue again, I guess.


	7. Chapter Five

**_Witchwolf_**- You missed my last deadline by about an hour but I'll respond in this chapter (since I don't have any reviews from my last one…it hasn't even been up for a day yet. That means you're getting all of my crazy rantings, Muwahahaha!) So, here's what I have to say, Kae comments are pretty air tight if you have certain presumptions down…I don't entirely agree with all of it, though. I'm pro-magic as Firilya put it. The dream sequence seems like that because I switched tense about 4 million times (exaggerating) but it was more than it should be…I was going to do something and changed my mind. Anyway sorry, I wanted to show Punkin before she became Punkin Capernum, Bard Extraordinaire. As far as Meris, I don't deserve to have create a character as deep and cool and near-perfect (from a writer's perspective) but that's what happens when you're hyped up on coffee and sugar. And Punkin's insane…I think I've toned her down a bit but she's very impulsive (I'm sure no one noticed.) And you're not the only person hooked, I'm getting death threats over here…that's why I popped out what three chapters in three days but I did because I love it (and I love my life, too.) –laughs and walks away- here's your next, next chapter, have fun…no one dies.

**Chapter Five**

I had never flown before…okay that was a half-truth, Ash had flown with me under her arms a few times but the Laziest Avariel of All Time preferred to walk instead of fly. But I personally had never flown by myself, although it was through Meris' magic that allowed me to do so. With hindsight now on my side, I'm sure it would have been torture to have to walk back the two hours it took me to get to him and probably worse if we were discovered by Sharwyn's search party; Meris being topless wouldn't help the situation much either…which brought my mind to another thought, or problem actually. Meris can be the most tactical individuals that anyone ever met but in a swift moment his wizardry nature could take over and prove to me that he'd never make a good rogue and tonight's situation involved his jacket and shirt…both of which were either lying in the woods or captured by the enemies I mentioned early. But it wasn't nothing terrible I guess, I thought as I laid on my bed half-asleep, but to engrossed with tonight's events to leave the wonderful feelings that I now had behind…I tried to remember the things that Meris had told me while we were floating over the Neverwinter Forest…

"This must be why birds sing so loudly, who couldn't be happy to see Toril from this vantage point," then he moved closer to me, "That was supposed to be poetic," he whispered with a smirk on his face.

I pretended to be moved by the wordsm "Good," I whispered back with my hoarse pitch.

He smirked quickly again, "Sometimes I hate the world… almost everything on it seems so wrong…so…erroneous. Nothing seems to have purpose or reason, and there's nothing you can trust in…but then you look at the little things, the things you don't think matter until they are gone…the sun, the moon, the stars that with trustworthiness come out on cue and the flowers that keep blooming no matter what happens but death and continue their legacy, they've learned that no matter how difficult or disappointing or rigorous the day before was that tomorrow is a new day when nothing from yesterday matters, hurts or is as resilient as it seemed."

"Good," I said impressed by the multitude of analogies that he came up with off the top of his head.

"That wasn't really part of the poem," Meris coolly said.

"My bad."

"Huh," he looked bewildered. _What did your mother keep you locked up in the upstairs cellar?_

"It means I'm sorry," I explained and a look of discovery came over his face.

"Oh…my bad," Meris joked with a chuckled at the witty comment. _I never wanted him to change, not a bit._

We landed a few moments later in a minor courtyard of the Academy, Meris told me was going to go check in so the hunt for him would subside. I figured that it would be best ie I went back to my room, so here I laid in darkness, half-dreaming about the things that came and went and would come. When I finally succumbed to sleep, it was the most aesthetic sensation that I ever felt in my life; my body felt as if it were sprawled on a pile of feathers, my heart thumped out a beautiful tune…a love tune and the smile across my face could have awakened Akyrra if I aimed it at her…

XOXOXO 

It must have been fate that I rolled over the wrong way, which sent a million stinging signals across every synapsis in my body. My eyes opened to the glaring light falling through the windowsill, I looked over at Akyrra's empty bed and I knew that I'd be late for class. Gingerly, I arose while I checked my condition; my chest felt better, I could breathe without wincing in agony and my throat seemed less swollen. I decide that I would do everything humanly possible to avoid hurting myself today, no matter what my ego wanted me to do. I changed into a pair of shorts with relative ease but exchanging shirts proved thornier than I predicted but after a few screams I finally accomplished that task as well. So with more speed than I anticipated, I gathered my materials and headed to my first class, which of course was directed by the def but not dumb Jan Jansen.

XOXOXO 

"Misse Capernum," Jansen said in his kind yet demanding voice, " You are awre that you are fifteen minutes tardy?"

Exaggeratedly, I mouthed that I wasn't feeling good.

"There's no need to yell at me, just take your seat and see to it that those books leave when you do."

My books that I was supposed to buy yesterday, all of the workbooks were here and even without looking at his note I knew who was responsible for this…Meris to my rescue again.

His note was simple 'This is an apology for reading your poem."

I couldn't even stay mad at the guy long even to remember that he weaseled his way to read my poem about him, but I was happy that he enjoyed it, maybe I would right some more stuff about him….

"Misses Capernum," Jansen interrupted my thoughts, "We are in Chapter One…imagine that, if you wouldn't mind could you read aloud."

"I can't- read…" I whispered.

Jansen interrupted me again, "Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't aware you were one of the special students. Damn that Sharwyn I specifically said I didn't get paid enough to deal with illiterate kids but hey don't worry, I've got a cousin on my mom's side that can't read a STOP sign and he's the mayor of…oh, I can't remember the town right now but it goes to show you that you can easily buy your way into high society…where was I at? Oh yeah, Misses Capernum, could you read from the first Chapter, please?" _This is what Sharwyn consider a formal education?_

XOXOXO 

"Mr. Minsc…" I said hoarsely as I entered my next class.

"Oh, it's the little weapon master, and Boo says he believes that you have a soar throat," the large ranger said petting his 'assistant' rodent.

"Yes," I said and before I could explain he held out a small berry, a red one. It looked innocent enough but I had my concerns.

"It is berry from the Rogy-Rogie bush that goes far off to the east, it is said to have magic powers…" _I might try it_, "That is what Boo tells me at least." _I might think twice since it was getting better on it's own._

I looked around the class and noticed that the class nearly tripled as Minsc begain his lecture, "As most of you might notice, this class has a few more people than it should. The nice Bard lady that runs the Academy…yes, Boo and writes our paychecks, has informed Boo and I that this class will be used as a weed out course, so not only do you have to pass my class for your own honor but also to remain in the Academy." _I would kick any student out that failed a class facilitated by a small rodent and his puppet ranger also…I had no worries but many of the other students didn't seem to have the sense of confidence._

XOXOXO

Finally my ailments excused me from something, Tibitha couldn't find it in her heart to make me sing in my condition so I got to practice reading music as everyone else sang bars do, re, mi for what had to be an eternity…thankfully it did end and I was off to what had to be the most sane class that I had this semester…I'm scouting my teachers for next semester, though.

Master Takrath was standing before the four of us as he gathered his notes and preparing his lecture for today's lesson. We sat in a semi-circle with Meris and I in the middle; he seemed focused on what the pale master was preparing to say, I on the other hand had one thing on my mind…Meris, of course.

"I just wanted to let everyone no that the tombs and study aides Sharwyn made me have you get, just leave them in your rooms or burn them…do whatever you wish with them, this class will be more discussion based than fill-in-the-blank."

This comment was accompanied with loud cheers from his four pupils, okay mainly me but I could tell that those stuff-shirt mages were happy, too.

He continued, "I've picked out a topic for today that will help you with you papers that I'm sure you are eagerly completing," For once I was eagerly doing work from school since it was a third of the way done.

"Good and evil," he paused for emphasis, "It's highly contested debate but it truly is the basis for all the things a person believes in…what is your stance, Treva."

The half-orc sorceress thought for a second, "I think that there's good and evil, if that's what you are asking."

"Not quite." Master Takrath stroked his goatee. _I would if Meris will get a cool goatee like that? _"Punkin Capernum, I'm interested in what a bard thinks about this subject."

I smiled as I stood up, "Good is- being truly selfless-, denying yourself- completely and helping make- the world better…"

"That sounds like something a cleric would say," he was pretty sharp, "How would that fit in a bard's desire for fame and influence?"

"Well it wouldn't…"

"Than how can you say that is what good is…"

I had to set this guy straight, soar throat our not, "I never said that I was good or that I even wanted to be good, did I, you're assuming a lot. Most people try to come up with things that make that seem as if they are right as if they are true but I think that is a mistake…everyone can't be good and everyone can't be evil…first of all it would rub off all the notoriety of the terms. They are supposed to be special for select people but society has a need to place you and me into one or the other when we probably don't fit into either since we aren't fully either."

Meris smirked at my roundabout thoughts as the pale master responded, "That sounds more like you, but it brings up what kind of characteristics go into good and evil…Meris if you would, assuming there's good and evil, what kind of things would 'good' people do."

"Nothing." Meris said coolly.

"Could you elaborate?" Master Takrath asked.

"To be good is to change nothing, to harm no one and to never affect the balance of anything. So in essence to be completely good, you must be nothing, do nothing and in the end amend nothing." _I didn't like that statement but he had a point in an overall view of life._

"Yandor," the dwarven mage stood up, "Would you like to add anything?"

"Yes sir, I think that good isn't about changing nothing but about affecting the world, to become all you can be and to respect everythings right to the same freedom."

"Intriguing," Master Takrath said, "So you think that Meris is incorrect?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you implied it. Do you believe you're good or evil?" the Pale Master asked.

"Good of course, sir."

"Well, I believe you are wrong by your own definition…"  
"No, I'm not…"

"You've attempted to impede on Meris opportunity to think of the world in his own world by disrespecting what he believes, right?"

"Yes…no…I don't know?" The dwarf sat down confused.

"Okay, my time with you is over…class dismissed." Master Takrath released us.

I waited for Meris to gather his things and he greeted with one of his patented half-smiles, "I assume you want me to lead you back to your room."

"Not today…I think- I'm hungry, cafeteria- now," I directed.

"Sure why not…I don't have any homework." _Stupid weasel probably is planning to make me did it, not today though…no ego._


	8. Chapter Six

AN- The Academy scores grades on a 1 through 5 scale…it's simpler that way.

**Firilya**- Of course Punkin's ego takes over but at least she tries to contain it some. A rogy-rogie bush is a thorny little brown leafed….okay, I made it up. I like Jude too, I think the whole good and evil thing is much simpler than I (Punkin) made it out to be. If you don't think yourself…than you're good in my book. That's my thought. One more chapter until Amberlee and I think you'll understand more of why she's the way she is. :-).

**Witchwolf**- Beat me by mere minutes, shoot. –Laughs- I wish I could explain how much Punkin getting under his skin but I'd give away a lot of things that I shouldn't. Anyway have fun, and you get to know a bit about Meris' deep dark secret in this one.

Chapter 6

By the end of the week I had finally fell into the groove of the rhythm of class; I had figured out that anything I did or said in Minsc's class, than Boo liked it which meant the ranger liked it also. In my alchemy course, Jansen only needed a little sweet talk to let me out of doing anything but I enjoyed making explosives…which most people, especially Sharwyn, have found it a lapse in judgment to allow me and volatile materials to co-exist. But hey, I haven't blow anything important up…yet. Now that my voice was returning to my, I've shown Tibitha a glimpse into the magnificence that is my extraordinary resonance, but I think she feels I'm limiting my vocal capabilities by wanting to adventure instead of being a professional singer…but it's my life. The only teacher that I've failed to utterly impress is Master Takrath…

I was able to have a slight conversation with his pixie companion, River, who also doubled as his most trusted advisor, and she informed me that he thought and I quote…

"He thinks you're a decent spell caster as far as bards go…more than that I don't know exactly how he feels about you."

She made it sound like a compliment but I knew what all that meant…I was average and how could he tell if I could even cast spells…we hadn't even started, yet. All we did was have discussions about things that I had little opinion on. Should the elements be manipulated? Can anyone cast spells? Which is better…adventuring in groups or alone? I never thought about any of these things, I always just went with the flow…wherever life took me I'd make the most out of it. But Meris was with out a doubt Master Takrath's most astute student…I think he was the pale master's favorite. But in the same sense I feel like he sees the same things I see in the daemonfey…but I doubt he sees the same quantity of the things I see. I thought about his body more and more everyday…I was being to get obsessed even though we saw very little of each other.

But tonight was the eve of a new me…after tonight Master Takrath, Meris and everyone of those mages would look at me in a new light but I had one problem to solve, I had two pages of a three page report done after getting a few other people's comments including my roommate Akyrra's ideals and principles from her training in the way of Shenron. I really wanted to end with clout, with something so amazing it would make Master Takrath lose a knuckle over.

I needed inspiration.

The library became my only refuge, where I had to figure two things out; first was this question was ultimately answerable, what should magic be used for and secondly why was it important to answer. The second, I could almost answer because if we have something than we need to learn how to harness that thing but the first thought was troubling. I shifted my opinion a great deal, at one moment it would seem sensible that it could be answered…then I became frustrated I thought that it was just a mental trick by that pale master.

The ageless debate focused on this very issue in its most simplistic view; should magic be banned as it is in a few providences or should people embrace magic as a fundamental truth of creation's control over its own environment. That sounds good I'll write that down. I'm amazing.

Neither side has much advantage in the argument. Anti-magic critics have stated the simplistic point that a city without magic is safer and usually has a lower amount of criminal activity. No Harper's Scouts either.

Pro-magic advocates state that aside from a world without magic falling apart, that magic is just a tool and anyone that thinks it should be outlawed should also think every weapon should be also, that would drop criminal activity to all-time lows but the threat of oppression would make the populace live in constant fear. And more than that all living things are imbued with magic itself…no magic, no life.

In the end magic is neither natural nor malevolent, it is merely a tool like the sword or the catapult and needs to be used as such. So in the end magic should be used by one that has mastery over it, someone that has carefully studied the effects and tribulations of casting…magic should be used for the service of those that a capable of using it and since magic itself is neither good or evil, lawful or dishonest, then it must be in all reason a neutral entity and used as such.

This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and at least I was finished now even if Takrath hated it, I had done his first assignment and I would gloat about that as long as I lived. But for now I'd leave my gloating to Meris…

XOXOXO 

I knocked on his door and to my great surprise his roommate the charming Everiegn appeared before me with the most sour face I had ever seen on a man or beast. _Your mother told you your face might freeze that way_

His response to my visit, "What do you want?" _To sharpen my blade with your backside but…_

"I was looking for Meris, you didn't run him off did you?" I said in the most polite voice I could muster.

"Unless I'm a shifter than he's not here," Okay so we want to have an attitude.

"What in Nine Hells is your problem anyway, Meris hasn't done anything to anyway since he came here, he's been an exemplary student and more than anything he's put with your bull better than anyone else would." _Your head would be over my bedposts by now_.

"Perhaps I'm the only person that sees him for what he truly is. There's more to him than meets the eye…the human eye at least."

"Okay, I think I get it, you're one of those elven superiorist that feels no one is virtuous and perfect other than your kind…I'm glad to be a poor breed human that can't see in the dark…"

"That's not what I meant…"

"And of course since Meris is technically an elf he's worse than even I…since he is contaminated with demonic blood, huh. I can see why he's the way he is…"

"He's the way he is because he's evil. I bet he hasn't even told you way his mother sent him here…I have my own skeletons in the past but your Meris has some that make mine look diminutive in size."  
Meris told me he had things in his past but I doubt that cowardly letting his family be killed would look small in comparison, "Are you trying to say you're better than Meris because your iniquities aren't as bad as his…"

"Of course…I'd rather be a coward than die trying to kill a blue dragon. I'm not an idiot nor am I a headstrong conqueror. I know who I am and I'll someday avenge my mother's death." Just his mother's…I thought his whole family was killed…except his grandmother…this guy was weird than even me.

"I hate people like you…" _I don't know where that came from_, "You go around and expect for people to accept your way and your God as right and then what do you do…you act as if you have no god in your life…"

"And your god is better…" Everiegn said with a bit of venom in his voice.

"I don't have a god. I doubt the gods, if there are any, care for our puny little problems…"

"So not only are you infatuated with a demon…"

"I never said I was infatuated…"

"Well are you?" _Everiegn, you asking for your own head._

"I doubt you would care if I told you anything…but Meris is the only person in this entire school that cared enough to visit me after I got hurt. Even Sharwyn, though she was busy, didn't even come to see me personally. He's got a good heart…better than most people I've met, better than my own."

"He's just using you…" _That's the last time you say anything like that…_

"I don't care for your attitude and if you continue to give Meris trouble than I might have to cash in a favor or two to Sharwyn. I'm sure she'll look one death over for the many times I've come to her aid," I scrunched my eyes and smiled mischeviously, "And don't worry…I don't **MISS** my targets."

"What do you see in him?" he asked ignoring my threat.

"He's caring, kind and selfless, he hasn't fired an arrow at anyone…I cannot think of any rules he's broken at the Academy…"

"HE leaves the campus at night…that's against rule 41.002 in the student handbook…"

"HE has permission from his instructors to do so also…"

"Oh yeah, from the bony armed freak…" _This guy really, really must have a death wish._

"I will pretend I didn't here that," said the sharp voice of the pale master who was trying to keep up with the long strides of Meris that traveled down the hallway beside him, "and Misses Capernum, I believe you aren't supposed in the male dorms…"

"I needed to see Meris about the essay and the rules state that before lights out, I am allowed to be outside the door and six inches away…"

"I understand," Jude blinked, "That's probably why Sharwyn made every student have a roommate. She's more clever than she looks, although that doesn't say all too much."

Meris grinned, "Don't be angry that she made you escort me back to my room after my training time, we wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen to me…"

"We no…I'm thinking I might though." Master Takrath said and began to walk off, "And make sure that essay is satisfactory, we're not starting casting until my intellect has been appeased." The pale master must not have sense the tension or if he did he cared little as he disappeared.

The three of us, bard, wizard and ranger, stood statuesque looking at one another, wanting one of the others to break the silence.

Meris coolly cracked the quiet air, "So, it would be my guess that you two were talking about me."

"And if we were…what business would it be to you, it's not like you're her boyfriend or anything." Everiegn said looking at me the whole time, "She also figured out your little secret." _The bastard is trying to screw me over._

Meris looked away from me and entered the room with more speed than I've ever seen from a wizard. Everiegn smirked as he closed the door. _Piece of shit, I'll kill him before I graduate._

XOXOXO 

My essay was fine or as Takrath said…

"It lack a little something but what you had in it was enough appease anyone's intellectual appetite…I'd give you a 2 for the fact that it's the minimum but I'll give you an extra point for creativity…3 is your grade."

I was angry until I found out Yandor and Treva got a 1…man, he must be really hard to please. Meris didn't come to class. I was afraid that I would never see him again but Linu gave me a note from him that simply said…

"Don't hate me without knowing the whole story." _I don't know any of the story._

XOXOXO 

The next few weeks came and went. Meris finally start coming back to Master Takrath's class but he wouldn't look or say anything to me…he was very distant. I wanted to force him to tell me what he was so heartrending over, but I knew I wasn't good at these things and I let me get over it. If he thought I didn't care about whatever it was that I didn't know about, then he'd eventually let everything out…I was sure he'd get over it. But these few weeks gave me a crash course in Merisology, he was a very calculated and chary guy and he wouldn't let his guard down easily.

Akyrra, who I got the privilege to spend most of my time with, gave me some pointers on guys, since she is sadly more experienced in that department.

"Don't let him thing he has control of the situation…if he thinks you're the one ignoring him, he'll crack sooner…it's just how guys are."

She always reminded me to tell her what Meris was keeping from everyone.

The day he revealed what he didn't want anyone to know was probably one of the gloomiest in my life. I still remember the day like it was outside my window. No sun, just clouds in the sky, and not fluffy fun ones but the dark, sinister ones filled with saline. The ground was wet and sticky as was the air. I hated that day but I would always remember it because of him.

"You think I'm revolting…" That was the first words he said to me after months worth of silence.

I smiled remembering when he visited me when I was hurt by the shadow, "I never thought that you were horrible…you saved my life remember."

"But Everiegn said…" He and the elf had all of a sudden become friends…not close ones but ones nonetheless.

"He lied…I don't know anything about anything. I'm sure whatever happened I've done worse…" I said as we walked back from our magical practice arena way in the back of the academy. I still remember the way the droplets of rain ran down my fishbone braid.

"I killed someone…"

"So." I interrupted. I had killed people, too. Nothing I was proud of but it was nothing I wanted to hide either.

"An innocent person." He said looking at the rain falling over him.

"I'm sure you were in the right," I said but his look gave everything away. I knew he felt guilty…he'd tell he never felt guilt but I knew that he did this day.

"I killed my best friend." That's not what I was expecting to her and I guess it showed on my face, "See, I knew you would think I was a monster…just like everyone else."

"No, no. I just didn't think you had a lot of friends," _smooth line, Punkin._

"But I had too. I had…you'd never understand." And that was all he told me. He was probably right, that I wouldn't understand it all at that moment…but I knew he wasn't the kind of person that would brutally kill someone over nothing. And in my head I started to figure out how I could get the entire story.


	9. Chapter Seven

**_AN-_ **_I wanted to make a quick note on Amberlee and the Alagondar family. Amberlee's parents are both Shamans ( I like Shamans…not as much as bards but their cool) and she has a basic knowledge of shamanism…this has nothing to do with this chapter but I wanted to get that out early. She hasn't decide to become a paladin yet either but you'll notice many…paladin-esque characteristics._

**_WitchWolf_**- I'm a horrid, horrid grammaticismist (not a real word). I'm sorry. The worst part of all of the grammar problems is the fact that I'm good at editing but I can't edit my own stories because I keep getting ideas and stuff when I do it. I'll fix my problems and I'll try harder nd type slower…but you should have seen my first story…it was horrible (grammatically.) But thanks for telling me…I should know better. I agree with Jude's grade too since I knew what she was going to get the whole time. :-) And the story is better than you think, really. I think you'll like it. Hey, Meris is a testament to your blood taintisn't an excuse campaign. And yeah, if guys haven't tried to kill one another than they aren't really friends.

**_Firilya_**- you'll learn more about all of it…and I like gloomy days too and nights people hate me because of these things. But I hate it when it's cold…I'd probably hate living in Neverwinter. I was glad that you didn't disagree with Punkin's grade…I thought you would but you like Jude when he's mean anyway. So here comes the Amberlee, here comes the Amberlee…

**Chapter Seven**

One phrase could easily sum up my entire second semester of school…and of all people Sharwyn started it…

"You know, I think you're truly something special, there really isn't anyone like you around," I looked around the empty cafeteria but I still felt my head swelling with my own ego, "I heard you did pretty well last semester."

I unleashed my most angelic smile hoping she wasn't bring up my mounting absences, "All 5's except for my magical arts class." I was praying that Sharwyn wasn't trying to force me into some grueling program for the better students. It would be easy to prove that I wasn't being challenged.

"Oh yeah with Master Takrath," she patted my shoulder, "I heard no one got a 5 from him and he only gave out one 4…"

"Yeah Meris got it, actually."

"Really, I knew he was a good mage but I didn't know that he was that good. But I should have except that kind of result from an astute and proficient individual that he is." Was she trying to say I wasn't…well can't argue with the truth.

"I know. Call it bard intuition but I see him going places…great places." I said playing with one of my braids.

"What are you taking this semester?" Sharwyn asked. _Here comes the axe._

"I have to finish up my core courses, Lit, Number Theory, History and Geography, nothing special. I'll get high marks in them though, okay."

"I'm sure you will," She said as I exhaled and stopped thinking about excuses to get out of advanced classes. The Headmistress changed gears; "I wanted to actually talk to you about my wedding."

"So you finally got the ole dog to stroll down the aisle…" I said. _Apparently Sharwyn had lost her sense of humor since she got engaged._

"He's not that old." She said.

"He was adventuring before I was born…"

"So was I," Sharwyn spat out then stopped trying to make sure she didn't let me know exactly how old she was and added on, "Of course it was just small stuff like the stuff you're doing now." _Now, did she know about my raiding of the old Helm's place?_

"I'm not adventuring now," I smiled even larger.

"I didn't mean now…never mind, let's pretend I never mentioned it." Sharwyn said.

"Okay. What about the wedding? I have no experience in that area but if you want my opinion on colors I'd suggest lavender and pearl…they seem lovely for a late spring…"

"Lavender," Sharwyn's eyes squinted, "That would never do. I've already got someone planning all those things anyway. I need someone to sing at the wedding…" _HERE COMES THE LINE, _"I need someone like you."

"So let me get this right, Shar. Neverwinter's most famous bard wants me, a lowly bard in training to sing at the most majestic event in Neverwinter in the last three and half years…"

Sharwyn pulled out a list and looked at it carefully as she pulled out a writing utensil, "I'll just as the next person on my list…"

"I'll do it, don't go asking less qualified people." I said.

Sharwyn turned the blank scroll around, "There weren't any others anyway." _That sneaky, good-for-nothing…but hey I'd get to sing in front of a bunch of people._

"So when's the wedding…"

"That's the other problem…" Sharwyn said slowly.

"What, no date?"

"That's not it. It's two days after the last day of class this semester…"

"So, that's a problem?" I asked trying figure out what date that was.

"…May 18th…" Sharwyn said and a slight frown came across her face.

"May…oh, that's my birthday…"

"If you have plans than…" Sharwyn said.

"I don't have any plans…"

"I just thought a girl would have something already planned for her sixteenth," Sharwyn stopped remembering that she had already gotten the singer she needed, "Thank you for doing this for me, you don't know how ecstatic this will make me. Other than myself, you're probably the best singer in the entire town."

"I still want a present," I said with a smile.

"The same goes for me as well," Sharwyn smiled, "Now if I find you skipping again I'll have to give you restroom duty for a month." _Crap, I knew she'd notice._

It's funny how time ebbs and flows. I could swear that I was present between that moment and the week before the wedding but I have little memories of what happened. I knew that I saw little of Meris between it because we both were studying so hard…of course he harder than I.

I was a t the first wedding session when I found out the I was not only the savior for Sharwyn but also many more…more than I rather wanted be…

"Hiya," a coy, near-angelic voice said for behind me, "Punkin's your name?"

"That's my name…" I said.

"Don't wear it out." The girl giggled as she finished my sentence. I looked her over trying to jolt my memory. Who was she?

She had doughy skin, milky and nearly perfect, her face featured seven freckles; three on each cheek and one on her prissy nose, right on the tip, all in varying sizes. She had a pair of owlish, reddish-brown eyes with green flecks in a few spots and bouncy chestnut hair that was in pigtails and sat on her shoulders off of her oval head. She smiled as I looked her over some more revealing her straight pearly teeth that sat so close air couldn't even penetrate and she had deep girlish dimples under her freckles as well as Cupid's bow shaped lips. She was thin, lanky with long legs and arms. I bet she could slip through a flute without sounding a note. But I had to admit she was cute.

"I don't remember…have I meet you?" I asked exhausted mentally.

"I'm Cami, one of Kyra's friends," I've never heard anyone call Akyrra by that name before…I heard Dense and Dim but not Kyra but her face reminded me of my death march or run I had at the beginning of school.

"Oh yeah, you're one of the monks that my roommate trains with…"

"Yeah, I had really cute bangs back then but Sharwyn said I had to lose them if wanted to be her flower girl." She was young but I'd guess 12 at the youngest.

"Sharwyn is making you the flower girl?" I asked.

"Yeah she said she hates little kids and that I was the cutest girl she'd ever seen and she wouldn't have to worry about me doing something stupid because I was small enough to bully but old enough to harm if necessary." _That's sounds like Sharwyn._

"She's so droll…" the girl looked at me as if I explained equilibrium, "SO, Akyrra is a real…unique person, huh."

"I know. I want to be just like her in a few years…I hate only being 12, I don't get to do anything, she gets to go on her chakra quest this summer man, and I wish I were 14. But she's the best monk in the academy hands down and next year she's going to be my Monk Mama…" My mind lose track of what else this girl was saying…_and people say I'm talkative._

"Okay mates, the somewhat honorable Reverend Grin is now in the auditorium, the wedding is now able to commence," said the halfing in a cleric's get-up. _Reverend and Grin should never be said in the same sentence._

I whispered to Cami, "I want to see his credentials, I wonder what Sharwyn was drinking to allow him to do her wedding even if he has that paper saying he's allowed to marry people…"

"I know Mr. Undergallows is soo cute. Look at his hair, owww, I hope that he's single when I'm done with my celibacy test…cause if he's not I'm going to be Misses…" _and she could go on and on…I know that I wasn't this bad._

Sharwyn appeared, "People…people we have a wedding to practice. No time for Tomi-foolery…" no one laughed at the bad joke and Sharwyn huffed as she handed out the instruction of how the wedding was supposed to happen. I would sing at the beginning, three songs of my choice as everyone settled and then the rest of the boring stuff happened. After the old maid and her older chap said their I do's and rode of into the sunset I would sing one last song, also my choice, as everyone exited. This was going to be the best wedding in the world…of course until Meris and I got married. Of course.

We went through everything we could, since most of the wedding party was still traveling here, mainly Nasher family. No problems appeared until after we were done with the rehearsal…

Linu looked at me as I prepared to leave…I knew I should have just left her green elven eyes drew me to her, "Did you want something, Linu?"

"Yes…well it's not really my place to ask of you but…" she fidgeted a bit.  
"Don't worry unless you want me kill somebody or something." I said.

"No, it's nothing that major but I…well, no it's not a thing I should speak with a pupil about."

"I'm not really a pupil…I'll never make a decent cleric. I'd rather be eaten by a dragon…not that I don't like clerics…I'm just not…you know."

"I understand. It's about Jude Takrath…"

"Yes, what about him. Did he make you cry?" I asked.

"No, nothing like that but he kind of hinted around going to the wedding with me but I'm not sure if he was joking…"

"JOKING!" I laughed so hard I fell to the ground.

"So…you think he's being serious."

"Let's put it this way…I think he lost his funny bone."

"That's not very funny, Punkin." Linu said, "Anyway, I was also supposed to ask you if it was okay if a few people stayed at your house for the wedding since it's so big and you're there all by yourself." She smiled.

"Sure, a few people would be okay…" _I should have specified what 'few' was. Stupid me._

XOXOXO 

I never thought a mansion could have too many people in it but I was proven wrong after at last count 79 people crammed into my family's three-story home. Since I was only used to living by myself or with Akyrra at the dorm this was hard to handle but at least I had my room to myself until they arrived…the world's most dysfunctional family. The family Alagondar…the Celamn branch that is.

I was trying sleeping a day before I had my last day of class when I heard a hard thud on my door which lead me to find her…my best friend I'd ever know.

"Okay, if you people don't understand keep it down…" I said as I swung my door open to find a girl, youngish probably a little younger than me. She had cerulean eyes, large and piercing that along with her milky skin with the thin, long midnight black hair tossed around along the ground, she seemed like a restless ghost.

"I'm sorry," her voice was pure and had no sense of temper behind it, "My family just got here and they said to sleep somewhere…I wasn't trying to wake you up."

"It's no worries," I said and held my hand out, "The name's Punkin Capernum, I know I'll regret it later but you can sleep in here."

"No, my parents said all the beds were taken…"

"This **is **my house…I think I know if there's room or not." I said with a smile.

"This is your house…I've never seen anything like this." _Okay girl, have you been drudging through the Silver Marches since you were born._

"My parents and I just came from the Silver Marches," _okay I guess so_, "and we're her for my uncle's wedding."

"I know, I'm the wedding singer," I said as I grabbed an oversized blanket and sprawled across my favorite armchair…of course it was purple and at least four times my size.

"You're going to let me sleep in your bed?"

"Sure, you're a guest, right." I said.

"Oh, I guess I'm not use to hospitality. Anyway where are my manners? I'm Amberlee Alagondar, daughter of Celamn and Celeste. So what songs are you going to sing at the wedding?" _You had to bring that up. _

"Well, I haven't had much time to…"

"We could stay up and figure out. I'm not tired…I was going to sleep because I was bored but if you want me to help you." _She was really growing on me._

"Okay, let's do it…let's rock Neverwinter like it's never been rocked before." I said with a small grin. She returned me a long sheepish smile that burned in my memory forever.


	10. Chapter Eight

AN- I found out chi means who in Italian. Just wanted to let everyone reading to know I'm able to learn things. :-). I don't know what I've been reading to make me write what I wrote in this chapter…there's a lot of innuendos. Other than that this was one of those chapters your write in an hour. This bad boy is pretty long…I think it's up near 4000 words. Have fun…now a few words to my adoring audience.

**_Firilya_**- Tomi as the 'preacher' at the wedding was simply a thought of mine when I said who would make the worst minister to have? I came up with this thought after watching an episode of Friends where Joey (what were they thinking) was the minister for Monica and Chandler's wedding. I hope I keep him in character for the wedding in the next chapter. –crosses fingers-. Nahser said yes because he's cheap. Tomi did it for free…I'm not sure if I'll put the whole story of that in the story…I glad that Amberlee made you so happy…I lot more of her in this chapter but don't let Punkin's thoughts about her ruin it for you.

**_WitchWolf_**- I'm glad you like it…it's just pratice. I've written a gagillion Sharwyn lines so I can almost write them of the top of my head. Enough gloating. I like Punkin's comment about the wedding…of course her wedding is going to be better if she can get Meris to show up. I think he's gamophonic (fear of marriage and commitment).

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

I had never met someone that I considered a goody-goody that I liked…I guess at times I felt that Meris was but I just see him with rose colored glasses. That was until Amberlee stumbled her way into my life. Not only did we stay up all night talking about what I would sing at the Alagondar wedding but she was able to reveal a whole new side to me…a girlish side that I, much like everyone else in Neverwinter, thought I didn't have. Our nightly dialogues mostly consisted of my torrid ideas of Meris…at times I think I forgot the poor girl was just 13. As I finished up my school year, she stayed around my house and did a million little things, kept the peace between the crazies as well as cooked and cleaned after the squatters. And boy could she cook…I wanted to keep the girl around. Anyway with her help I made it to my last day of class.

"So just like two days until your big day," Akyrra said as we packed up the things in our room, as I prepared for my summer plans and she prepared for her spiritual journey.

"I wish you could hear me sing in front of all those people but…when chi calls, right." I said.

"Who's chi?" Akyrra asked as she rubbed the back of her hair.

"Your chi."

"I'm not chi…are you like feeling okay. I totally know people that have like caught nasty stuff because of all the totally hard studying." She asked as she felt my forehead_. I think you've caught stupid._

"I'm fine." I thought of a way to change the subject, "So, you'll be alone Bardock all summer."

"Not really cause like Maxine is going too."

"Oh, is she the…"

"Bitchy little schoolgirl with short pink hair that like totally needs to be shaved off. Yep, she's the only thing that standing between me and Bardock eloping." _Dream on. You think that you could get your instructor to go off with you. Please spare me the details. _"I can see it now, we'll be sitting on top of the Netherese Mountains looking over the world and he'll tell me that the only thing more beautiful is…"

"You." I interrupted.

"Yeah, I totally tell you that before, huh chica." _More times than I wanted to hear. _

"Keep dreaming, I'll have Meris taking me out before you and any teacher in the Academy are in the sack together." I said as I picked up my stuff with a deep thrusted, I must having been getting stronger, since it was little trouble picking up the whole pack, mainly clothes, in one swift lift.

"Strange things happen in the mountains…strange things," the monk said as she exited and was intercepted at the door b Amberlee.

The two made a quick gesture to one another, smiled, and then Amberlee made her way into my room, "Cool…this is a dorm room." She looked comfortable in my favorite purple shirt and a pair of shorts that went to her knees.

I looked her over and got a quick twinge- envy. She could pull anything off. "Nice look."

"All of my clothes are drying," I believe she was indicating the food fight we had to break up last night. If my parents were alive they'd be digging their graves by now. "I thought it would be okay to wear some of your clothes and come help you, I'm…"

"Don't say you're sorry. You apologize for everything." I said.

"I'm…I'll try to stop. These clothes aren't important to you…they seemed a bit big for you so I thought they'd fit me well and maybe they were work clothes or something." Another twinge came- covetous.

She was easily a half foot taller than me but she had figure that any woman, let alone girl, would die for…she looked like a statue even her pale skin looked almost lifeless and near-perfect. That twinge went away along with the first as I told myself that I had a bigger chest and that's all that really matter.

"It's no worries…if I knew you had such little provisions I would have taken you shopping. Clothes are almost as important as air…maybe more depends on the season." I said.

"My family has to pack light. It's tough in the Silver Marches and we need to make sure we are prepared for everything so there's little room for clothing. But some shopping would be nice before we have to get fitted for our dresses."

"Good idea and maybe we could get some swimming in before tonight too…" then he walked in fresh off another dazzling semester of classes, at the pace he was going he'd be on the top of his class and mine.

"Is this…a…ah…bad time," Meris asked as he ducked his way into my room. _Such a rule-breaker._

"No it isn't," I pushed Amberlee's shoulder lightly, "My friend was going to…ah…" I tossed my pack at her, "take my stuff to my house."

"I was," then a light came on in her head, "Oh yeah I was, see ya, Meris." She waved with her free hand and tried to keep her smile inside as she disappeared out the door.

"Do I know her?" Meris scratched his head. _Such a cute look on you._

"I doubt it. She's one of Nasher's nieces, Amberlee. I thought she'd be totally different than she is."

"That's… nice. So you're…kind of…are attending…" _I know where this was going, poor Meris, he always had trouble with talking about his emotion._

"Sure." I said with a big smile.

"Sure…what?" he asked.

"You were going to go on for 20 minutes about the wedding and try to muster up the courage to ask me to it, usually I'd love to see you struggle through it but I've got a full plate today." I said.

"My goal was 10 minutes." Meris defended himself. "I don't want to be the jerk with no betty at the wedding."

"Betty?" I asked.  
"Yeah, you know a lass, a lady."

I couldn't hold it in, the laughter just erupted, "You're such an old man…it's so charming. I'll be glad to be your **date** to the wedding."

"**Date!**" the half-demon nearly jumped out of his skin after that statement.

"Yeah, that's kind of how it works…you ask me out to go somewhere with you on a certain **date** and…"

"I-I-I was told that I needed to go with someone…I didn't want to go on a…romantic thing."

"Well what do **you **want to call our **date**," I said with a smirk.

"I just want to make sure you're…taken care of…you know…have someone watching your back…"

"I'd rather have someone staring my front," _catch my drift._

"Ahh, there's a lot…of…things that could happen. Big crowds are attractive for thieves."

"I'm one of them so I doubt that I'd be their prey."

"Well…if you go by yourself…ah…the hooligans with no dates will be calling for you all night."

"Good answer…I guess you can be my guard for the wedding," I said. _It's a start…with Meris I gotta take what I can get._

"When do you want me to meet you?" he asked allowing me to set him up. _The guard thing had to be paid back._

"Tonight at six…my house in Blacklake and bring something that you don't mind getting wet," I said. I really wasn't trying to sound as suggestive as that came out.

"Isn't that a bit early…"

"You're my guard, right. Amberlee and I need to go swimming and I think having a strong, brave guard around will help us feel com-fort-a-ble," I said as I left the room.

"I…don't know…" Meris argued.

"Amberlee and I will cook you something," my mother taught me that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

"I'll be there." _Another point for my mother._

XOXOXO 

"So what happened, he didn't propose did he?" Amberlee asked as I caught up with her.

"He can't even admit that he's taking me out on a date but at least he's going somewhere with me…well us, first."

"He's going shopping with us?" Amberlee asked.

"No…he's going to 'guard us' as we swim." I explained.

"Oh." Amberlee seemed confused, "Are all guys this complicated?"

"The good ones I hear are," I said with a little chuckle.

"If he's going swimming with you, than it's not fair. Why don't I get a guy?"

"You're only 13, you don't need a guy." _Although you won't have a problem getting one._

"Are you always so prejudice," she asked with a little grin.

"Probably," I said dryly, "He'll just sit on the edge of the lake and meditate or read a book anyway. Guys really aren't that much fun anyway."

"I can see why you think he's so cute though…I mean his eyes are so striking and they even match his skin. By the way I've never seen a race with purple skin…I believe he's elven though…"

"He is…well he's half-elven like you are…"

"You're kidding."

"No but he's half-demon also."

"…Half…demon…" she said with a puzzle-that's-missing-a-piece look.

"I think they call his race Daemonfey…but he's not wicked. He's very polite and well-mannered."

"He's a…demon," she swallowed, "But I didn't sense an evil spirit from him."

I jumped in without thinking, "Cause he's not evil."

"I thought…I was told that all demons are evil." She said.

"Well, there's always an exception to a rule and Meris is the exception, he doesn't even act like a demon. I think he just nervous around me and other girls."

"Well, if you say so but he tries anything than I'll have to use my talents to subdue him."

XOXOXO 

After we squander a great deal of my inheritance on new clothes and cool jewelry, we prepared to go to the lake for our swim. I was customary in Neverwinter for students to go for a swim on the first official day of summer, of course that being when school's out. I wore what I always wore; purple shorts over my knees and a thick tee shirt that went past my elbows. But Amberlee wore less…a lot less than I'd be comfortable in…

"It's called a bathing suit," Amberlee said with her fists on her hips. The 'suit' was only suited for bathing but I had to admit it showcased all of her elven features. The two piece garment was topped by a pair of triangular pieces of fabric delicately held together with a few threads thrown over her shoulders and across her back. Looking downward at her sturdy abs leading to the bottom of the 'suit'. It was little more than a pair of briefs but was thicker and gave a bit more coverage for her posterior. All you could see on the girl was legs…long, well-built, flawlessly tanned legs.

"It looks more like lingerie to me, "I said which cause her fair cheek to blush a little, "But if you're comfortable, than I'm content."

"Oh, I'm comfortable," she said as she struck a smooth pose, "Do you think it looks nice?"

"Nice doesn't even explain what I think of it," _Trampy or maybe loose would be better._

"My mom says that I don't have any qualms about my body," and I wouldn't either if I were half-elf either.

"I'm sure that most just don't either," I let that one slip that caused the blue eyes from Amberlee to hide behind the huge smile she now had.

"Knock, knock," said the voice of Meris from outside the front door, "If I have to wait any longer I sprout roots and be stuck here." _Was that an attempt at humor from Meris, he must be excited about our date?_

"Quiet out there," I said, "We'll be out when we're ready. We opened the door and revealed our swimming gear.  
"Ah…nice day for a swim," Meris said staring at the impressive frame of Amberlee. I felt another twinge coming as he seemed magnetized by her form.

"Guards aren't supposed to say anything and as I remember it they are supposed to stand behind their target," I said and quickly remembered the view he'd have of Amberlee from the vantage point, "Our at our sides…yeah that makes more sense. Stand by my side."

"I want a raise," joked Meris dryly.

"I wanted to give you one in my dorm room," I started.

"Okay, I might be 13 but I do know about all those things. If you two want to be alone…"

"No!" Meris said, "I mean I'm just making sure that you two are okay, and nothing happens." _Smooth Casanova, smooth._

"Okay, how about you lead us to the lake, Mr. I-like-jailbait." I said as I pushed him forward.

"What's that suppose to mean?" he asked.

Amberlee said, "You were looking at me of course. I'll take it as a compliment but I doubt your girlfriend would do the same."

"She's not…"

"I know I was just teasing you," she said as we started out.

"Yeah, you seem to be good at that kind of thing," said Meris.

XOXOXO 

The lake was empty. I couldn't believe it. Everyone always came to the lake on the last day of school but I guess Sharwyn's wedding had disrupted the whole flow of everything. So Amberlee and I swam as Meris sat and read a book, I should have placed a bet.

"How long are you two going to swim?" he asked as the sky began to turn red.

"Until our clothes peel off," I said as I treaded water with Amberlee next to me.

"We'll this book only has some many pages and it's getting boring to seeing you guys just sit there in the water." Meris said.

"You wanna see us do something else," I teased.

"If it involves you two getting dry and letting me get home and get ready for the wedding than yes, I would."

"Nope that's not what I want to do…I want to see who can…" I quickly swam out of the water and with my pickpocket-like speed I swiped his boot off his foot.

"Hey, what are you going to do with that?" Meris asked as he jumped up to run after me.

"I'll give it back. Amberlee wanted to see how good of a swimmer I was," I said and with heroic strength flung the black boot halfway across the wide lake.

"You little-" Meris said.

"I'll get it back don't worry," I said and disappeared into the lake. I had this all planned out, and Amberlee knew about it. I'm so clever. There's always more than one way to make a guy kiss you. I grabbed his boot and sat Indian style under water for at least a minute. Good thing I had trained myself to hold my breath for long periods of time…I think it's because as I kid I used to throw tantrums and hold by breath until I was blue. That and other kids always wanted to hold their breath longer than me and of course me and my ego…we couldn't ever let that happen.

"Meris, it's too deep some has to help her and I'm a bad swimmer," Amberlee lied but thankfully it worked.

"It has been a long time," Meris said as I heard him dive into the water. Here comes phase two, I flopped to the floor of the lake and closed my eyes.

"Punkin," I felt his hand graze mine, "stop joking." I didn't budge. "Come on." He grabbed me around my waist and pulled me up to the surface. Wow, he was even stronger than he looked, I wish I could have got a peek at him underwater.

"Is she okay?" Amberlee asked touching my skin. "I think she's not breathing do you know how to put air back into her."

"No," Meris said dreadfully.

"Just put your lips on her lips and breath…I'll find someone else to help." She said and ran off.

"Wait. I can't. I…crap," Meris said as he put his lips over mine. It was twice as intimate as I ever thought it would be and apart from me deceitful to force it to happen it was everything I thought it would be. Stars trickled down my spine and my skin felt like it was on fire. I knew my dominating heartbeat would give me away as he continued on.

Should I be guilty over this? 

"Punkin, please…this can't happen not again." Meris pleaded as I felt a droplet hit me…I hoped it was rain but I knew differently.

I feigned consciousness. "Oh, Meris…what happened?"

"You…it doesn't really matter. We need to get you home," he said as he tried to scoop me in his arms. Any other time I'd feel fine about it…since it was my most favorite place in the world but right now…I felt disgusted with myself."

"I think I can walk, thank you though."

"But you just nearly…"

"I'm fine…leave me my pride." I said as I slowly walked back home.

_**XOXOXO**_

I was nauseous. I felt acid sloshing around deep inside my stomach and my heart was racing like a thoroughbred stallion. He was a tough guy I mean he even took an arrow in his shoulder without flinching. If I knew he'd respond that way to thinking I had drown, I'm sure I wouldn't have done what I did.

Was this what guilt felt like?

"You don't look so good," Amberlee said as I made the table ready for all of us to have supper and she was in bring out her cuisines. If I didn't think I'd throw it back up, I'd sample her cookery. As I placed done the fourteen places I thought about why in Halueth's name my parents thought it was necessary to have a giant table for three people to eat at…I knew my mother entertained a lot before I was born but she was a bit excessive if you ask me.

"I'm fine…I'm just…" I couldn't think up a lie, I was caught.

"I don't think it was right the way we tricked Meris, he seemed…frazzled about the whole thing. I think I should tell him…"  
"No!" I said brashly then backed off, "No. I'll tell him, I just don't know how yet."

"I think you should do it right away," Amberlee said as she carried over a green and orange thing in a large dish…it smelled mouth-watering.

"I can't…he probably won't go to the wedding if I do."

"You're a cute, popular girl plus you're singing at the thang, I'm sure anybody you ask will say yeah."

"I know. I'm a salmon in a sea of tunas but it's just…I…"

"You like Meris." She said bluntly.

"Yeah."

"And you don't want to hurt his feelings, right."

"Right."

"Than you have to tell him. The longer you wait the hardest it's going to be and the more it will hurt him." _How does a 13 year old get so worldly?_

"I guess…" I said.

"You know." She said.

"I do know. I just I'll tell him after supper."

XOXOXO 

After I had forced the steak-filled slobs out of my dining room, I was left alone with Meris, who insisted on helping clean up.

"You don't have to help me, I'm not invalid," I said as I grabbed a stack of plates and sat them in the sink.

"I want to help." He said with little emotion.

"Well…I need," I took a deep breath. _Rip it off like a bandage, Punkin_, "I need to tell you something."

"Okay."

"I faked it." Just as I said that Amberlee's mother Celeste marched in. Her prim and proper exterior was shocked at the statement and it was easy to see.

With a crooked, fake smile she said, "I'll just wash my hands in the bathroom."

"O-kay," he said as he scraped a plate.

"I didn't drown…I mean I was drowning. I can stay underwater for a very long time." I said sorrowfully.

"Oh…so that was…all to…"

"I didn't think…" I said.

"It's okay," Meris said looking away from me.

"Really, but it was wrong. I shouldn't have made you…"

"It was nothing. We've been trying to one up one another all year…since we met actually. I guess I can't fake my own death so you win…you're better."

"I'm not better. I fell terrible…if I could do it all over again…I'd just ask you for a kiss."

"You…did…all that…to kiss me?" Meris said.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure you wanted your first kiss to be special. Memorable…but I ruined it." I said.

"I wouldn't have thought that would have been your first kiss." I didn't know if that was a compliment or a cut. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

"It was with a boy my own age." I said and looked at him. He was nervous…antsy.

"Oh…well…that's good." That's good…I knew what was going on.

"Was it your first kiss?" I asked.

"No."

"Do I get the privilege to know about it?" I asked sweetly. I knew I was the only person that was Meris as a amiable, engaging gentleman.

"Not really…since every time I see you…you rmind of it. I don't want to but I can't stop it…every time I think about it I see…I'm almost where I didn't want to go back to." I wasn't expecting that.

"I remind you of who…I didn't know. If I did I would have left you alone."

"That's not what I want. I want to repress those thoughts, those injudicious memories. I want to forget everything about my past…"

"We can only learn from the past…"

"What can you learn from having to kill your best friend?"

I didn't have an answer. I always thought Meris was this shy, diligent person that liked to be alone but I was slowly learning that he was alone because he needed too not because he wanted too. I never felt closer and yet further from him at the same to the extreme as that moment. I did the only thing that I could do… I hugged him, a friendly, welcoming embrace that I hope would pierce through his pain.


	11. Chapter Nine

**_AN-_** Okay I have to admit that although I'm not a review junkie (I need one more review…just for today…please) and I probably enjoying giving reviews than getting them…I have to say that this week felt good to get more reviews than I wanted to get. :-), thanks peeps.

_**Music**-_ One Girl Relovution by Superchic(k)…thanks go to Jen for the song…speaking of Jen…

_**Jen**-_ You're absolutely, utterly nuts…more than I. Thanks for reminding me of where I thought that monk stuff up from…I guess that means that I watched too much Dragon Ball as a kid…but you already knew that. Yeah, Punkin's a pragmatic but she's a bit of a sanguine too. And yeah you're not the only person that likes my crazy ideas…and I expect my pictures some time…I can't wait till my b-day. And if you ever write something it'll rain honey and thz 4 th Blindside CD…it is kewl…I think I might write something to 'The Endings' …Laterz.

_**Guan**-_ I wanted to write about the bachelor/ bachelorette parties but…it would be hard to get Punkin in it…maybe I'll make it a one-shot…Tomi as the priest…I don't know what I was thinking now that I think about it but I'll go with it. And the trick I sort of stole for 'The Sandlot' one of my favorite movies as a kid where this kid did that to get kissed by the hot (and might I say leggy) lifeguard he had a crush on. Glad you're not killing me over Jude's character…more for Punkin's comments about him.

_**Witchwolf**-_ That was one of those lines that just happened…but it's how Punkin would react. What girl doesn't like being ogled over. And I can't race ya…I only have four more chapters to go…I feel such a sense of lost.

_**Fomy**-_ I'm an eagle and you're a fish…does that mean we're enemies. –Laughs-. I just thought about that…and you're a rabbit and I'm a tiger…I don't think they get along much either. –Laughs again- but you're definitely a rabbit (my best friend is one too)…love to play under the moonlight yep that's you…I should have mailed all that but…what the hey. I like writing about school because I've done it for almost twelve years now and it's all I know:-).

Before I head off into my story I remembered something very important that I wanted to bring up…

_**Tifa, FF7 - "Words aren't the only way to tell someone how you feel."**_

That's very, very true and of course it is if it's from Tifa. And now that I'm thing about FF, I was reminded of how similar Meris/ Punkin seem to Squall/ Rinoa from FF8…I wish I could send them to outer space on a monster-filled ship and have them sing and dance together…oh the joy…sorry I'll daydream after I'm done…

**CHAPTER NINE**

My armchair and I became mortal enemies that night. I was restless, my mind was set on Meris and I knew that no potion would ease that mental state. I was rustling around so loudly that I was sure the dead would knock on my down and ask me to keep it quiet but I think they appointed Amberlee to did it for them.

"You can't sleep either," she asked as she flipped over in my bed.

"No, I have a lot on my mind."

"About Meris," she asked as she sat up in her white nightgown.

"Not just that…I know he knows something that I don't and more than just what happened to him back home…something about me."

"Do you think he thinks something bad is going to happen to you?" she asked.

"I don't know… he's hard to read. But does seem to show up right when something bad is about to happen…"

"Like the shadow and the firebrand scroll." She interjected.

"Yeah…but I could have handled that scroll."

She covered her mouth in an attempt to shield me from the next comment, "And burned half the city while you tried too."

"Whatever…I got the only 3 that Master Takrath ever gave out…"

"Is that an accomplishment?"

I threw a pillow at her, "You don't even go to school so you wouldn't even know."

"I know not to try to burn a building to the ground," she said and returned the pillow…to my head.

"I thought you were trying to help me?"

"I was?" she said with a sheepish grin, "Okay, I'll help…you need it."

"You need it," I mimicked.

"Well…first since he's part planar he probably has a bit divination in him…perhaps he can see into a small window in time."

"He never mention it…"

"How does he do one tests?" She asked.

"Pretty good…actually he's never missed a question…if Master Takrath taught from the book he'd have gotten a 5."

"Maybe he can see into the future?"

"I doubt it though…or he'd have killed the shadow before it attacked me…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes and don't ever say anything like that again. He wouldn't want to see me suffer."

"Okay, forget I mentioned it."

"Forgotten…where were we at?"

"Everyone needs their secrets. It's only natural especially when it comes to things we aren't proud of…"

"So do you have any secrets?" I asked.

"Me? I thought we were talking about Meris…"

"We are I just want to know if you have any."

"Well…yeah of course I do…I've kept a lot of things from my parents."

"I wouldn't think you'd be the deceitful type."

"I'm not but everyone doesn't need to know everything about you."

"So I should just back off," I asked.

"Pretty much…if I know one thing about guys," that cause a snicker from me, "I know that they show themselves a lot slower than us girls do…that's why girls are better friends."

"How did you get so wise?" I asked as I leaned back into my chair.

"The truth comes from the mouth of babes." She said a rolled over on began her ritual to go to sleep.

XOXOXO 

The day before a wedding was a procrastinator's worst nightmare come to life…I had my dress ready and I obviously knew the accessories that I'd wear but more than that I hadn't planned very well. Linu was doing my make-up for the pre-wedding party tonight and Celeste would help me do something with my hair, which had turned into a rat's nest over night. The rehearsal was planned for the evening, right before the party and needed to present my songs there…I had that covered…I guess I wasn't in that bad of shape.

"Hey, Punkin," Amberlee said as I got dressed for the morning part of the busiest day of my young life, "I wanted to ask you last night…"

"About," I screamed to her in the dining room cleaning up after her family.

"Your scar." She said bluntly so that everyone in the house came to a hush.

"What…scar?" I said peeking my head out of the door.

"The one on your back…it's right below your left rib cage…in the small of your back."

I heard the herd of lunatics racing over to my room, I quickly locked the door and reappeared before myself in my full length mirror. Holy cowskins, I had a scar. It was ugly as Morag to boot.

"That damn shadow!" I screamed which caused the knocking on my door to cease. This wasn't good, my dress cut low in the back…I couldn't get another one in time for the wedding.

"Can I come in?" Asked Amberlee. I opened the door, let her in and slammed it locked afterward.

"This isn't good I can't sing with everyone staring at my scar…I didn't even know I had it." I said without breathing.

"Don't worry, I have an idea but we have to hurry," she said.

"What do you think we should do?" I asked.

"Did you notice my shoulder?" she asked.

"No…why?" I said.

She showed me her shoulder and on the bone that sat below her shoulder, her scapula, she had three small stars, "They're tattoos…I got them in a small town called Silverburg."

"They look cool…why are the stars so small?" I asked.

"It was supposed to be…something else but I kind of chickened out. I'm sorry."

"If you say you're sorry again I'll dye your hair while you're sleeping." I said.

"Sure you will. Anyway, I heard that there is an underground parlor here in Neverwinter…" she said.

"Who told you?" I asked.

"Some guy I was talking to…he told me were to find it…want to go?"

"Sure but we have to hurry?"

"Of course we can't be late…we'll get caught." She said.

XOXOXO 

"If I knew this place was in the sewer I would have thought twice about going to it" Amberlee said as she slowly looking at the direction.

"Are you afraid?" I asked as I saw her trembling with the scroll in her hand.

"I don't like being underground."

"Isn't that what your parents do…excavation?"

"Yeah and I go with them most of the time but I still don't like it." She said as we turned and saw a 'room' of weird chairs and a squat dwarven guy probably twice my age with some odd needle in his hands.

"Wat do ya want?" is how he greeted us.

"We're here to get a…" Amberlee said and then whispered, "Tat-too."

"I know…wat do ya want me ta draw," he said in a raspy voice.

"Oh it's for my friend here," she said and pushed me over to him, "She needs to cover a…"

"Shut up!" I said even though he'd find out. I didn't want to have to talk about it. "I'll want something 'in' on the same of my back."

"Drag'n…'kay. On the chair." I sat down, "Do ya want meh ta cov'r dat scar, hon?" he asked.

"Well if you insist," I said and he began. I still wonder why I didn't catch Amberlee's hint that this was going to be as painful as it was rebellious. If Amberlee was there I would have screamed and ran out of there but I had to keep my pride…I sure my ego had a lot to do with it also. But after a half an hour I was done and had a blue and purple dragon with red eyes on my back.

"That's so cool…you'll knock 'em dead at the wedding." Amberlee said.

"So do ya ladies got date's…cause I was…I ah…"

"We're taken," I said.

"I…ah…I'm not allowed…my dad…ah…" Amberlee stumbled backwards.

"Oh…I don't want no trubble." He said.

XOXOXO 

I walked into my house and was meet with Meris sitting on the living room couch with his head down next to a woman holding his hand with both of hers. I had never seen him more uncomfortable.

The elven woman who I couldn't place an age on, elves are always tough to translate, but she looked over at us and said, "Who are those cute girls that just walked in? Don't you think they show distinction in those clothes." Shorts and a tee shirt are distinction?

Meris quipped, "I think you meant to say distinctly."

"That's no way to talk about your **date**," I said with my hands on my hips.

"It's not a" Meris said.

"DATE!" all three, including Amberlee said in unison and laughed as the lady stood up.

"So you must be Punkin Capernum," she said and gave me a hug. A warm, maternal hug, "I'm Salandra Sensbane, Celeric of Tyr. It's been a pleasure to finally meet the girl that has my Meris out of his little world."

"Mother." Meris said and shook his head. I'd be willing to bet he was blushing.

"He's the sweetest guy I've ever meet. Did he tell you he saved my life?" I said. I heard him moan.

"No," she said and turned to him.

"I didn't…she just…she…"

"He killed a shadow creature," Amberlee added.

"It was trying to kill me," Meris explained, "I had…to defend…"

"Oh, Meris you've always been so modest." Ms. Sensbane said. "So is he taking you to the party tonight."

"If you approve Ms. Sensbane." I said in my most polite voice.

"What manners you have," she said and I smiled, "of course he will. He'll pick you up after he's dressed."

"Okay," I said to Meris who was trying to ignore the whole arrangement, "I have rehearsal so you can pick me up from there."

"Whatever," he said.

"Meris?" Ms. Sensbane said with a dishonorable look.

"It'll be my pleasure." He said flatly.

"Great I got another date," I said and looked at his mother's confused look, "With Meris, I meant."

"Oh." Is all she could say.

XOXOXO 

The rehearsal was full of beauty…everyone was made over and many of them look like completely different people…especially Tomi in a suit probably for the first time in his life.

"Sharwyn is out…ah, getting ready for the wedding practice," Tomi informed us.

I had to butt in, "You mean she's getting a little liquid courage."

"Aye, ya got it," Tomi chuckled, "In all seriousness, this is important ta da lass, we gotta have everythin' in order…my head is on da line here." He informed.

Linu walked up and addressed everyone on conduct and commitment to the schedule, "High noon, Punkin. You start singing then no moment sooner or later, okay."

"Sure." I said.

"What are you singing anyway? Did you bring the sheet music for the musician?" Linu asked.

"Sheet…Music?" I played stupid.

An overpowering hush fell over everyone, "Yes…a sheet with notes for the orchestra."

I pretended to look ineptly through my pack, "I haven't seen anything like it."

"Okay, come down, Linu," the cleric started to talk to herself.

"Oh these," I said, held up the scrolls and gave them to the musician that Nasher had hired from Amn.

"Punkin Capernum I swear you'll be the death of me," Linu said as she caught her breath, "Do you need to go through the numbers…or bars, whatever you call them?"

"Not really…If the band wants to run the music they can…I'd prefer to go at it fresh tomorrow."

"Okay, you're the star." _That's right, Linu. I'm **the Star. **_

The band got my music down perfect …they were worth whatever the groom spent on them. Love is Alive and Twilight were the slower ones at the beginning of the wedding after I opened up the wedding with a song I had written called Faith. I looked over the stage and noticed it was bigger than anything I'd ever performed on but it gave me a lot of room to work with. I was going to rock them dead.

XOXOXO 

I looked at myself in the dressing room mirror as I waited for Meris my date. My dress was long, wide and flowing. It bunched at my waist, tightly slid up my torso, excluding most of my back, which was exposed and the sleeves welled out into wide, wavy cuffs that covered most of my hands. It was purple with pure gold trim on the seams…I had spent a fortune on it. My hair was braided, it was the only thing that Celeste could do to tame it and was partly hidden by the purple and gold tiara towering it. My face was lightly colored the only thing that was visible was my new purple eyelids.

I was gorgeous.

"Are you ready to go?" I heard him from behind me. I turned and was meet by my tuxedo-clad giant.

"Boy, you do dress up well." I said as I grabbed his arm.

"Thank my mother," he said dryly.

"I will."

XOXOXO 

The party was already underway when we got there. It seemed that this was the 'underage' one. I assumed that Sharwyn had an adult one going on somewhere else perhaps the Trade of Blades and Nasher had another at an undisclosed locale.

"Way do you always do this," Meris asked as I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

"Do what?"

"Make me do stuff I don't want to do," he said.

"I guess it's L-O-V-E," I said as I started to lead him in a waltz.

"This music sucks." He said.

"And what would you prefer?" I asked. **_Me maybe?_**

"Something I could scream to," he said.

"WE WANT ROCK!" I screamed at the DJ.

"YEAH!" the rest of the crowd screamed.

"Alright, here ya go," he said and started some fresh music.

I wear a disguise  
I'm just your average Jane  
The super doesn't stand for model  
But that doesn't mean I'm plain  
If all you see is how I look  
You miss the superchick within  
And I christen you Titanic  
Underestimate and swim  
I've got the rifle  
Gonna be myself

I'll be everything that I want to be  
I am confidence in insecurity  
I am a voice yet waiting to be heard  
I'll shoot the shot, bang  
That you hear 'round the world  
I'm a one girl revolution

Some people see the revolution  
But most only see the girl  
I can loose my hard earned freedom  
If my fear defines my world  
I declare my independence from the critics and their stones  
I can find my revolution  
I can learn to stand alone

I'll be everything that I want to be  
I am confidence in insecurity  
I am a voice yet waiting to be heard  
I'll shoot the shot, bang  
That you hear 'round the world  
I'm a one girl revolution

"This is my favorite song," I said as I lead in close to him.

"It's better than the moshy crap," Meris said.

"So Meris…I met your mother. When are we gonna get hitched." I said.

"Hitched?"

"Married." I said.

He pulled back, "M-m-married!"

I didn't let him get away, "Yeah, that's what people do. They find some special and they get married."

"M-m-married."

"Okay, well talk about that when we get there." I said.

"If we get there."

"IF…," I said nearly yelling, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"We…we aren't immortal. Though you seem…to have faith that you may be…" I gave him a hard stare, "You remind me of this song, you think you're a one girl revolution."

"I am a one girl revolution and a wondrous revelation as well."

"Don't forget that you're never lacking in confidence either."

"Nope, never." I said.

"I don't even think you're nervous about singing in front of all those people tomorrow." He said as we swept quickly across the floor in our dance, full of life.

"Not at all. I think then I act and then I feel so panic does come to me on stage."

"Are you afraid of anything?" He asked.

I saw a deal brewing in my head, "I'll tell you but you have to answer a question of mine."

"Deal," Meris said after a moment of weighing the options.

"I used to be afraid of losing my parent but I'm not scared of that for obvious reasons but I think it was a smaller element of a fear of being alone."

"Being alone?" he said.

"Yeah, I don't like it. I hated living alone in my family's house…no one around and always wondering if someone would care if I lived or died."

"So that's way you're so personable." He said.

"That, my superior beauty and my charismatic charm." He laughed at my comment. He looked so amazing when he laughed…it always reminded me of my father but still different enough that I didn't feel icky.

"I can honestly say that I have never met anyone like you." He said.

"And you never will…hey, that was the first compliment you've given me on our…what do you want to call it?" I asked.

"You deceived my mother into thinking you're a decent girl, you shrieked at the DJ about the music and you've belittled me into submission…I think it's fair to call this a date."

"So now you've said it, do you fell better?" I asked.

"Not really but I'll pretend," he said with a faint smile.

"Oh yeah, now I get to ask you a question. What makes you see your friend in me?"

"Oh…I don't know where to start…"

"Bardic rule number one, always start from the beginning," I said.

"Okay…I was born on…" he said.

"Not that far in the beginning," I hissed.

He smiled and continued, "Her name was Kestaryl but I knew her only as Kasie. She was my mother's adept and she had a lot of your qualities…strong-willed, tough and always listened to her heart. She was like a big sister to me since it was part of her duty to keep me out of trouble. It all started around her 100th birthday, in elven cultures this is a big thing, she started to act different. She became overly fascinated with exorcism spells and darker magical arts. On the night of her birthday I followed her while she performed some weird spells on a special dagger from my mother's collection, and she sneaked into my mom's room. She stealthfully removed my mother's shoe and cut a small 'X' on her foot. I screamed when I saw this and see looked at me with dark crimson eyes…her eyes were green as most elves are…then she fell to ground weeping. She pleaded with me to put her out of her misery and claimed that she was being manipulated by a demon. She told me that she had put a powerful sleep spell on Mom but didn't understand the demon's allure to her but that she didn't want to do it's bidding anymore. She wanted to be free. So I killed her in my…I guess she'd claim our Mother's room on her 100th birthday."

"Oh, that was…very heroic of you," I said as I held him closer. He didn't budge but I could tell he was fighting with himself not to cry.

"It didn't feel heroic."

"Nothing ever does," I said, drew his cheek to my lips and gently kissed him.


	12. Chapter Ten

**_AN_**- Finally…I get explain my title. It's taken 4 ever…no thanks to Punkin.

_Punkin_- What…you let me out of your head.

_Shadow_- (holds up a bag of gems) These are called 'Hope' gems…

_Punkin-_ "Hope' gems?

_Shadow_- I 'hope' that you go out there and do your thing… (throws the bag at her head.)

_Punkin_- Oh an amethyst like Meris' eyes. (walks away talking to herself) if my computer addicted author hasn't mentioned it yet, he doesn't own Neverwinter or anything in it… he still owes me a good fortune before he owns ME as well…good luck. :-).

_Shadow_- If this chapter looks like I'm starting to write like a professional, than there is a good reason…Tasharene beta-ed it. Thanks a gagillion. –Everyone stands and cheers- Here's what you want…Laterz...oh, first my responses to all your reviews...

**_Tasharene_**- Thanks for all your help and support. I got to read two extra stories…yeah! I bet Punkin wished it was that easy too…I mean there's not only Meris and Amberlee's family, (not to mention Tela's infatuation with her half-brother.) and of course trying to stay alive…well other than it's going to be easy. C'est la vie (that's life.)

**_Guan_**- Poor Meris, she's surrounded with crazy women…I think you had asked me once why he would fall for Punkin…you always end up with someone like your mother…I hope that's not true in real life…

**_WitchWolf_**- The tattoo thing is going to more of a crutch than anything…you'll see…

**_Lady Dioptase_**- I know I told you that you gave me the biggest compliment I've ever gotten…but really reading a story (a 33000 word one) in front of a computer is a flattering remark to a writer. I've only done it twice and I'm an avid reader.

**CHAPTER TEN**

He stood there, in front of my house, looking at me with his depthless purple eyes, not wanting this night to end as much as I didn't.

"That was so much fun," I said to ease the tension, with joy glowing across my face. I have never thought Meris could be so… sociable.

"I couldn't think of a more pleasurable way to getting sweaty," he said.

I couldn't stop smiling. "So, I guess you'd say it wasn't as bad as you thought."

"No… I thought you'd hit me more," he said nonchalantly.

_I should have_.

"I promise I'll only hit you when you deserve it…" He shrugged at that. "Would you like to come in and see my house?" I asked, opening my door wide.

"…I don't…" he stuttered.

"I wasn't really asking," I said and pulled him into my far-reaching house.

He looked around sharply and said, "Have you ever gotten lost here?"

"A few times, when I was a toddler," I said remembering opening a thousand of doors, looking for my mother when I was a two year old.

"Oh… I was just joking… but it looks nice, your parents must have been prosperous," he said and sat on my living room couch.

"You make it sound like a bad thing." I scowled at him with a warning expression on my face.

"No… I just didn't think you were… **this **rich, that's all," he said and wiggled on the couch uncomfortably.

"Well, if it's any consolation for you, we have never hired any help… my mother and now I take care of everything," I said with a proud smile.

"That's good… if you had, I'd fire the maid for working that inefficiently," he said as he looked around at my dusty drapes and the unorganized bookcases.

I shot him a death glare.

"But you… ah… are doing great… with school and everything."

_You saved yourself… this time._

I sat down and wrapped my arm around his side. "So, are you still going to guard me for my birthday?"

"Birth…day?"

"Yeah, nimrod! Tomorrow… well, in two hours actually, it's my big 1-6…"

"Oh crap…" Meris said and stood up.

"Don't worry if you didn't get me anything… I'll let it go this year…"

"No… it's not that… it's just… crap…" Meris said, pacing the room in circles so intensely that he nearly burned the floor.

"What? Is something supposed to happen on my birthday… are you planning to make me a woman or something?" I teased.

"Does everything you think about involve… 'that'?"

"No… but 'that' is probably in the top five on my list of things I think about… so, is that a yes?"

"No. I… I think something bad is going to happen, but I… I don't think I can tell you."

"Okay," I said.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, if you need my help you'll ask for it, right?"

"Ah… sure," he said, scratching the back of his head.

I smiled and said, "Okay, so just sit down and calm down."

Meris sat down, "Can I ask you something?"

"No," I joked. "Sure you can, but I get to ask you something afterwards… you know the rules."

"Right… what's with wearing purple all the time? Are you trying to make it seem like you're similar to me, or are you obsessed with that color?"

"I guess I'm obsessed. My mother loved the color purple and told me all the time that the color of love was purple." I shrugged.

"Love… Purple?" Meris tried to fathom the idea.

"Red is the color of passion, of fervor and of old blood. Blue is the color of serenity and tranquility as well of new, untainted blood. Together they form purple… and that what love is - infatuation, passion melted together with concord, tranquility."

"Every time I think you can't get any deeper… you prove me wrong. So I'm blue since I'm composed and you're red since you are… well… emotional?"

"Are you trying to insinuate that I'm shallow and malicious?" I said, clenching my fists at my sides.

"Well, you did put a scar on your back to cover another scar," he said. I twisted and looked at the small my back … it did look like a multicolored scab. It looked so much better in the sewer… with less light. _I guess that's why the tattoo guy works down there. 100 gold pieces down the drain…_

"It's called a tattoo… and it looks cool, but you wouldn't understand," I said. "Now I get a requested… give me a kiss goodnight."

"I thought it was a question for question rule," Meris said.

"Okay… may I have a kiss goodnight?"

"No," Meris said and stood up.

"What!" I said, jumping to my feet, but he grabbed my cheeks, kissed the top of my head then headed to the door.

"I was joking… see, it can work both ways. I'll see you in the morning."

XOXOXO 

Everything between that moment and the next one of me waiting behind a cumbersome curtain meshed together. I had my hair redone quickly that morning - it was braided around the edge line of my hair, just over my ears and the two braids came together at the nape of my neck and fell into the empty V of my back. My tiara still stood, even after Celeste's complaints and my dress looked even better than the day before, although I couldn't say the same for my 'tattoo.'

Linu looked at the clock on wall, "Are you ready, dear?" she asked in her warm voice.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

"That's good, hon… because if you mess up, Sharwyn will never let you live it down."

"Like that will be a long time anyway," I laughed. "Do you know if the musicians are at ease with the music?"

"They seemed fine at the rehearsal…they are professionals, so I doubt they are nervous. You seem to keep the compositions simple."

"Of course, I want everyone to remember my voice… not the stupid honks and beeps. I am the star after all."

"Watch it… if that head of yours gets any bigger you'll have to drag it on stage… High noon, go time. Knock 'em dead, dear."

XOXOXO 

The music started slow and steady as the curtain rose. I stood still, looking out into the obscure crowd. It was dark and unmoving, as I stood tall, flip my hair and opened my mouth…

_**Verse 1**_

_**There's a sound, a single sound,  
That breaks my heart in two.  
It's that soft and lonely weeping,  
That draws me close to you.  
And there's more to your heart,  
Than anyone else can ever see.  
But it's being torn apart,  
By things that should never be.**_

_**Verse 2**_

_**I know a place, such a place,  
And I'd wish to take you there.  
I would banish all that you suffer,  
For it's more than I can bear.  
Your tears they melt my own soul,  
So much that I can never leave.  
I'd give up my life to you,  
The very air I breath.**_

_**Chorus**_

_**So let me make you happy,  
And put a smile upon that pretty face.  
Let me hold you in my arms,  
The storm is gone and I'm the calm,  
So have a little faith.**_

_**Verse 3**_

_**In this world, this cruel world,  
There's just one thing that's true.  
You can't handle all your pain alone,  
You need some one to help you through.  
The things I feel can't be wrong,  
I know that I can make it right.  
So I'm begging you before I go,  
To trust in me tonight.**_

The wisp lights flashed on - red, blue and yellow, filling the arena with radiance. I walked to the edge of the stage and looked at Meris… sitting beside Everiegn in the front row and he smiled gently as the crowd stood and applauded.

_See, I told you nothing bad would happen… what a pessimistic pansy._

The rest of my performance was just as skillful. My dress wasn't exactly designed for dancing around, but it held up fine and the puffiness seemed make it look as if I were floating across the stage… in my head I was.

I truly loved very moment on stage… and I felt a little depressed as I ended my last song, it was sweeter than the one I wrote and welcomed in the lovely unification of one of the woman I hope to become like and a man that would just give all of himself to the city that he adores.

"That was our own Punkin CAPERNUM!" Tomi said as he dramatically entered from the front of the arena of the Halls of Justice. Every head turned to him as he made his way down the aisle.

"Nice dress. Who did ya'r hair? Are you available after the cer'mony?" Tomi said to unsuspecting women at the audience, as he made his way. I bowed accepting more cheers and sat down next to Meris.

"You did great," he whispered. "I wanted to give you something before your thing but… I…"

"A GIFT!" Everyone looked at me. "This wedding is truly a gift," I said with a false giddiness in my voice.

"Yeah," he pulled out three bracelets. He handed me the first, a red one and it was engraved with these words

Love- A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person 

The next one was blue; he put it on my wrist with the red one but left a little room. It said…

Such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness

The last one was purple, he snapped it in between the two and it said…

_**Simply put…this is how I've come to think of you.**_

"Wow… this is like the COOLEST…" heads turned to me again.

"I see our star is ready for this union," Tomi said and continued on with the speech that Sharwyn obviously made him say. I looked over at Meris and smiled. We ignored 'the preacher.'

"They are not just regular bracelets…" he said quietly. "I put three different spells on each of them. If you rub your finger over all three at the same time than you'll release the spells."

"What spells?" I asked.

"You will know once you use them," he replied with a guilty grin.

"Did you engrave it yourself, too?" I whispered.

"Shhh," Everiegn hissed.

"I'll shh your head!" I told the ranger as he shook his head.

Meris touched my shoulder, which sent snowflakes down my spine. "I did… but it's nothing… my mother made me learn how… it was going to be my trade. I guess it came in handy."

"Thanks… I'll never take them off," I said and turned to listen to the ceremony.

Meris had the same idea, "We should start watching… I think Sharwyn is about to be introduced at last."

Tomi babbled on, however, "We are here, under heaven, on Faerun, before the eyes of all things celestial, over all things bound to the depths… that's a dumb statement, actually."

"GET ON WITH IT!" Sharwyn's voice roared over the whole arena as if she was an invisible dragon.

"This is the day that we all shall remember as the day that a bless'd and sacred union, if ya say so."

On bless'd Tomi splattered half the front row with saliva… if he got me with any, there'd be hell to pay.

"TOMI!"

"The bless'd start of a bless'd era for our bless'd Neverwinter. Bless'd…bless'd…bless'd." More spittle flew causing the spectators to duck for cover.

"I'LL RIP YOUR…"

"Now all stand," the typical music of a wedding procession began, "to welcome our **bless'd **heroine?… Sharwyn and her… and our… Lord Nasher Alagondar."

The music blasted as the flower girl, poor Cami, walked in and quickly threw flower petals down the aisle, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone. Sharwyn's rules, most likely.

"Isn't she the cutest," rang out voices from all over the arena. "Here she comes… here comes the bride."

Sharwyn… she looked as pretty as ever and I'm sure it took a lot of her new husband's gold to get her looking the few years younger she now appeared. Her straight hair was a fiery red, brighter than usually… I think she changed dyes. Her silky white dress was exquisite; long with millions of tiny flower embroiders across it, from its wide foundation to the V-neck revealing a trivial amount of cleavage. She looked like a queen.

She stood, joining a group of Alagondars and they looked back for the march of the Lord…

The music trumpeted loudly…

Nothing. Not a movement from outside the Hall.

The music stopped and reran the groom entrance music…

Nothing.

_This is why the groom shouldn't come in last._

The people started to whisper… where was the Lord?

Amberlee rushed onto the stage.

"Where's Nasher?" Sharwyn screamed out seeing her.

"Nasher is…"Amberlee held her hands out, all covered in blood. "Nasher's dead..."

An eerie silence settled over the crowd…

Tomi broke it, "Does this mean ya'r avail'ble?"

XOXOXO 

"It was… I saw… and I tried… but…" Amberlee 'explained' as I, Meris, Sharwyn, Linu, Tomi and Celamn stood in the back stage area trying to find out what happened.

Sharwyn touched her shoulder, "Calm down…one syllable at a time."

"I was with him in his room, like my dad said for me to do. A… thing… I don't know what it was… but I know it wasn't from here on Faerun… it… it attacked us, grabbed him. I tried to save him… I grabbed the… the thing but it… bit through my skin… kind of like acid… I tried, Sharwyn…I did, really. I'm sorry."

"So he may as well still be alive, dear," Linu said.

"I guess so… but that thing wasn't just playing around." Amberlee explained.

"Well kids," Celamn said.

_Kid my ass_.

"We can take it from here."

Meris walked out, followed closely by Amberlee. I wasn't going anywhere, however.

"I'm not a kid anymore…I'm 16 today, I think I can handle whatever you four can."

"Punkin," Tomi said, "Ya mitey brave ta wanna go afta this thing and we ain't tryin ta make ya feel like ya itty bitty but ya gotta und'rstand our position. We can't let ya go getting hurt again."

"I won't," I said.

"Amberlee needs you," Linu argued. She did, I couldn't make a counter.

"Plus you need to make sure the people in town are safe… the walls are still breechable," Celamn said.

"I guess," I said as I started to leave, "I'll stay if you tell me your plans."

"We're going to search for him, of course," Sharwyn said.

"We must start with Neverwinter Woods," Celamn said. "It has been notorious for evil beings and such… we should start our search there."

XOXOXO 

I walked out of the room and was meet by Meris and Amberlee's eyes. They looked intense.

"So what did Celamn say?" Meris asked.

"That they are going to look for Nasher in the Woods and that we…"

"Just like you said," Meris said to Amberlee.

She tossed her hair, she didn't look as unraveled as she did in the room.

"That means Nasher was right… my father sent his most prized incarnation after Nasher…"

"What?" I was confused.

"That thing… it was a spirit being. I've seen him once before… I wasn't supposed to, but I did. My father was searching for some artifact while my mother and me were supposed to be sleeping, but I was curios and trailed him. He released some planar being and couldn't fight it off and he called out to this being, Chalchiuhticue, and it appeared out of nowhere… she was made of water… and was nearly transparent."

"So this creature is an element?" I asked.

"I guess… I don't know much since I've just started my shaman training."

Meris looked impressed, "You're a shaman."

"Well, I was training to become one but… I don't know now with all this. I think my father wants to kill Nasher to gain the control of Neverwinter. If he's not successful, I don't know what else he's capable of… my father is very determined… he'll get what he wants or he'll die trying."

"So let's go to the Woods and save your uncle's hairy behind," I said.

"No," Meris said. "He's not in the Woods."

Amberlee nodded, "That's my dad's cover story, I bet. We were supposed to visit Helm's Hold ruins after we left… I'm sure he's right there."


	13. Chapter Eleven

**_AN_**- I suggest you also read my songfic Silhouette…it helps you understand Amberlee's past.

**_Firilya_**- I was tempted to kill Nasher but I think I'm not as infuriated with him…it's not his fault he's a weak, pathetic old man. :-). Songs mine, yes, I'm glad you like it. Meris…now he'll never be able to get rid of the bard…poor fellow. And my grammar is now being corrected by (or is that buy, joking) someone more suited than me (or I…whatever). I hope you like this chapter… and the songfic.

**_Guan_**- Nasher MIGHT be alive… you should be happy that he's suffering. So smile and know that he's getting his spoils.

**_WitchWolf_**- I know I hate when the site will let me do everything but review…it's my favorite thing to do. Now, I'm going to have irate boyfriends coming after me. –Looks over shoulder- the purple thing wasn't really supposed to make sense… Punkin's not suppose to make sense when she gets philosophical. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**_Fomy_**- Tomi was funny in my draft…maybe I'll post everything I wanted him to do. (Stealing watches and bracelets…staring at Sharwyn's chest… kissing the Maid of Honor. Tomi, Tomi.) Sooner or later I'll explain how they ended up together… I keep walking around it, but it'll come out soon… the Nasher/ Sharwyn thing.

**_Tasharene_**- Okay, I'll except being a terrible beta…but I write a lot so it balances out…kinda…anyway, Punkin has top five and ten lists for everything, sex is number three for the record. And the mother thing…well, you should have pick your mother out better…it's your fault…mine too, I guess. Crap…I gotta go stab a q-tip in my ear…Laterz and Hugz.

**CHAPTER 11**

The three of us, Amberlee - half in tears, Meris - deep in thought and myself - truly enthusiastic as ever, entered my vacant house to prepare ourselves for the road that laid ahead of us.

"What's that?" asked Meris as I grabbed a vial with a sea colored liquid and put it in my pack.

"It's a powerful antidote," I said and grabbed a few potions from my cabinet, along with a few knick-knacks.

"And what's all those substances designed for?" Meris inquired as he finished preparing his spells.

"Healing potions, a few scrolls and some items I'll need if one of you decides to get hurt."

"You should just leave us where we are," Meris said, his voice emotionless.

I shot him a death glare… a quick pummeling wouldn't be far behind.

"Do you think I could take a quick rest? I used a lot of energy making those bracelets," Meris tried to change the subject.

Amberlee looked up from the chair she had sulked in, "You made those? They look so nice."

"Yep, he's my beau now, right Merry-poo?" I said as he unwounded across my couch.

"Don't call me Merry… or anything else with poo on it," Meris said, closing his eyes.

"Ten minutes is all you get…Rizzy-coo," I said with a syrupy sweetness in my voice.

Meris pretended to be asleep.

"I think…" Amberlee began to say something but stopped.

"What?" I asked as I sat down by her.

"I think I knew what is going on."

"Okay…would you like to give me some light into what I'm getting into?" I asked.

"My mom…well, she and Uncle Nasher had a… thing…"

"A relationship?"

"Yeah… my mom's very malicious at times… I think she's… no she'd wouldn't… or would she?"

"You think your mother is trying to kill Nasher out of jealousy… have you seen him? I think that Sharwyn took a few shots in the head too many from those dragons we had faced… that or Morag stole her mind."

"No… Nasher has more than looks, he has prestige, power…"

"And not to mention he's got Neverwinter… his bride would get that also… especially if something happened… I bet that what Sharwyn's after. She'd only have to be with him a few years tops… he's no spring chicken, she told me once. But why would your mother kill him?"

"Who would get control of the city if something happened?" she asked.

"…His family…" I said as I looked into her soft blue eyes.

"Exactly. My parents have been talking about settling down for years now… maybe this is what they consider settling," she explained playing with a long strand of her black hair.

Meris rolled over and I said, "Stop faking it… you're not as good at it as I am."

Amberlee blushed.

"We have to get going anyway, if what Amberlee says is even half right… Nasher may be in serious danger."

XOXOXO 

The path to the Ruins of Helm was well traveled. I had actually made my way there a number of times before, so I lead the way. We traveled quicker than I thought, forgetting that I was in the company of a pair of half-elves. We closed in on the abandoned tower as the night began to fall, but our minds were at an all-time high. The fastest way in, other than a portal, which we hadn't come across, was a seldom-used bridge that stretched over a dark gorge named Elghinn Vale, the Valley of Darkness.

"Oh no…" Amberlee said as we stopped a few feet in front of it, "I don't do bridges."

"Okay," I said, "Just wait here." And I started walking across it.

Meris didn't move. "Punkin, we can't leave her here… I knew from the very beginning it was a bad idea to bring her, she's just a..."

"I'm NOT a kid," Aberlee said.

"I know, I know you're 13, but it's just a bridge…" Meris said.

"I hate bridges… that's when everything changed… my parents, I mean."

"Oh," I said and walked back to her. "So you're not afraid of heights… just of bridges?"

"No…I'm not afraid of either," she said looking into the abyss below the bridge, "I hate remembering my family's expeditions… I remember the way my mother treated me when I was younger… she keeps saying I wasn't fit to be her child… I would never be as good a shaman as she. I nearly fell off…" Amberlee's crystal blue eyes filled with frustration, "She didn't turn around to help me… she left me to die."

"Oh… I'm sorry," I said. _I really need to stop jumping to conclusions._

"Finally my dad came after me… I hate her… I know she did this. I know it, now."

"It's okay, we'll take care of it," Meris said, "I could create an illusion that would help ease your thoughts."

"O…kay," she said with her eyes closed.

We slowly and quietly made our way across the bridge. I broke the silence as soon as we had left the bridge, "If your mother is so bad to you why don't you just leave?"

"She's my mom… I still love her and she loves me. She does what she feels will help me. I guess I was never in any danger in that ditch…" she said as she kicked a rock into the hole.

"I doubt that," Meris said, "I sensed something from her… and not just the normal mystique that Moon Elves tend to give off."

"I think she doesn't like me," I said trying to get back in the conversation.

"I don't think my father has ever met any of her family… I haven't."

"Do you think she could actually kill the Lord of Neverwinter… she'd be branded a heretic, murderer, predator and probably a whore if the story got out," Meris said still trying to get his mind around it all.

"Don't talk about her like that," she said as she held back more tears.

"Why don't you wait for us somewhere?" Meris asked her.

"I have to see it with my own eyes… I have to."

XOXOXO 

We stopped and made a camp about a thousand strides away from the entrance to the tower as the sun went to sleep and the moon's beams were the only light in the sky. We had a fire started and we cooked some of Amberlee's leftover Mooncakes.They had anoodle-like doughy surface, andwere filled with lotus seed paste, nuts, and duck egg yolks baked in the shape of a cresent moon.

"So, did you make this?" Meris asked me.

"Do you think I did?"

"Not really, it's not over-seasoned," he said.

_You have no sense of self-preservation._

"I made it," Amberlee said. "It's a recipe I picked up in… I think it was Waterdeep, when I got to meet my god-father Kel."

"Kel," I said. "As in Khelben Blackstaff."

"Yeah… you've heard of him," she said taking another bite.

Meris' eyes flashed in the light from the campfire, "Everybody knows who he is… all great wizards are as popular as kings."

"Really? I didn't know that… anyway, he's an odd, old gentleman. He's still not married, did you know that?"

_If all wizards were like Meris, I can easily understand why… most likely Blackstaff lacks the attractiveness of my daemonfey, so he would most probably have to look for a mute, deaf and dumb woman to make her his wife… I don't think there are many of those_

"You've really voyaged a lot… I would think someone as traveled as you would have an expertise in a weapon," Meris said as he swallowed a huge piece of whatever we were eating.

"I do," she said, then she held her hand out, said some words I failed understand and a longsword materialized, "It's cooler than using a hilt."

"That's… well… a nice sword," Meris said. "I guess I'm the only one that's not good with a weapon."

"Naw," Amberlee said. "I'm not very good at fighting… I don't like it much."

Meris stood up quickly, "Did you hear that?" I heard nothing.

"Nope… you're just imagining…" I said and I took another bite.

"Shhh… I still can hear it… footsteps," Meris said.

Meris cast a few quick spells on us that gave us some kind of protection. Amberlee stood still with her eyes closed trying to hear. I still didn't hear anything, however.

_Elves are so weird._

"Amberlee, can you hear it as well?" Meris asked.

"Yeah… a figure… from the north… moving quickly… in this direction… I'd say it's humanoid by the pattern of the steps," Amberlee said as she continued to stand motionless.

I grabbed my blade and ran forward to the north, "I'll take care of it."

"Punkin!" I heard Meris scream but I was already gone… deep into the night, ready for a fight. I only hoped it wouldn't be my last.

XOXOXO 

I couldn't hear the footsteps like my companions could but I could smell something… someone. I knew they were a threat, and I had enough confidence to handle it. I sniffed at the scent… perfume… it smelled strong yet faint at the same time… it was powerful.

I had spent my younger years playing with perfumes, I wasn't a girly girl but I had a love for nice smells and this one was one of the best. I realized at that moment that my target was a female… and a strong, worldly female.

I ran quickly cutting through the branches and bushes in front of me, fighting to meet up with this mysterious objective face to face. I stopped. I could still smell it… that perfume over me… very close.

With the quickness that made me a legend in my personal circles, I put my rapier away, rolled forward, spun around and took a knee looking at my attacker.

She was lanky with the body like a willow tree. Her brown hair waved in the smooth night air as she held a katana blade at her side statically. Her eyes were mostly gold with a ring of lavender around the pupils, and they pierced into me instantly.

"Who the hell are you?" she said with a harsh voice that seemed to be seldom used.

"I could ask the same of you…" I said getting slowly to my feet.

"You're Punkin Capernum…" she said and put her blade away.

I took a step back, "Yeah…" I decided I would pay this to my favor, "I see my fame is faster than my feet."

"Where's Sensbane?" she asked.

"Why?"

"He's the only one I'm interested in… he's the reason why all this is happening. You might say… we have a lot in common."

"So," I said and stepped forward, "If you want him… you have to go through me."

"You really think that someone like him, one with some much potential and talent would be interested in a measly little human girl like yourself?" she spat as she said these words. She was lucky not to get any on me.

"How do you know that?"

"I know a lot about you… more than you'd like for me to know. It's a mark of my trade to know my enemies inside and out," she said.

"Your enemies… what did I do to you… I don't even know who you are."

"My service's been bought by a wealthy woman visiting your hometown… I'm what most people would call an assassin..."

"So you've been paid to kill me?" I asked.

"Only if you get in the way. She said you would… I'm just glad to see they were right about your impetuousness for combat… couldn't wait on your love, could you?"

I had to keep my head and wait for Meris and Amberlee to catch up with me; this wasn't the type of fight I wanted to go at alone. "What's the perfume?" I asked, changing the subject.

"It's… Alexandria… it… cost me a fortune and forever and a day to find," she said, sidetracked. I knew her type - conceited, self-concerned, shallow old woman…

"It smells great… you have great sense of fashion," I said motioning to her knee-length black leather armor that wrapped across her torso into a single sleeve on her left arm. It was the color of assassins. Black.

"It was specially formed to my figure… I had it done in Kurst by one of the most popular blacksmiths in all of Faerun."

"Oh," I said than I noticed her flinch… she knew they were coming.

"I gotta go…" she said, leaping into the shadows. She was gone just like that… I guess that she wasn't as bad an assassin as I thought.

_**XOXOXO**_

This girl must have transformed into a shadow because the next thing I remember was racing back to Meris and Amberlee; hearing nothing, seeing nothing but still smelling. She was still very close.

"Meris…" I was interrupted with the quick, enigmatic shade reappearing from the canopy of the forest, with her arched blade shining in the moonlight, freefalling downward toward the wizard. He reacted with no room for error as he leaped backwards and called a quick, inaccurate fireball that blasted into a tree missing its target. The impact of the detonation caused the compact ball of flames to fly into a wrath of tiny infernos, slowly burning and providing a little more light.

She stood still… that damn assassin, in the light of the fire revealing more of her form. She seemed even thinner and I noticed that she wasn't gifted with much of a chest, unlike me.

"So you want a fight, I'll give you a fight," I said and pulled out my rapier.

"You're just a little girl, I doubt you're as good as your rep claims you to be," she said, swinging her katana from her right side across her body in an effort to disrupt my charge. I ducked under the taller fighter's attack and stabbed my blade into her torso.

"No one tries to kill my boyfriend except me," I said as I released the rapier.

The assassin smiled as she touched her wound, "You think that scratch will hurt me?"

Meris jumped between us and pushed me backwards, "Punkin, she's not human."

"What do you mean… do you know her?" I asked remembering some of the vulgarisms that she made about Meris.

"No… but I sense something about her… something abnormal."

"If being half-demonic is abnormal than I'm guilty as charged," she said as she rushed on Meris with her blade over her right shoulder. Meris called a stray bolt of lightning to disturb her route to him. She just took the electrical pain and continued on to him. With one quick slice she sent him to a knee.

"Meris!" Amberlee screamed as she called her longsword. "He didn't even do anything to you."

"You must be the pious princess," the assassin said and changed her course to Amberlee. I ran as fast as I could to intercept the encounter but I wasn't able to stop the initial strike that caused sparks to fly. They released their metallic clasp on one another with a simultaneous step back, and paused quickly, enough for me to get an attempt at killing the assassin. With one hand I tried to plunge my rapier into the back of the half-demon but she flipped right over me. It was very impressive… I would have given her a compliment if we weren't trying to kill one another.

"So you don't fight with honor," she said as she landed on her feet.

"I fight to win," I said as I rushed to her again with the same attack but this time as she jumped I changed directions and swiftly kick her in her ribcage.

"Urgh… you little…" she started to say as she fell on her back.

"Careful. Temper, temper… you wouldn't want to say something you might regret," I swung my blade quickly, forgetting my defensive mentality and forced the assassin into a tree.

"You should never underestimated the power of emotion…" she said as she parried my death blow and kick me square between my breasts. "Those aren't as glorious in a fight as they are in bed, are they?"

I tried to tell her to screw herself but no word came out of my mouth. I pulled my blade back and motioned for her to go on.

"You want more," she said as she teased her hair and tossed her blade into the air. "Just let me know when you've gotten your air back," as she finished she grabbed the twirling blade from the air.

"Quiet!" Meris screamed as he released a storm of magical energy, so powerful that it had knocked me down. "This game ends now."

The assassin stood there like a statue. Meris' magic had finally come in handy.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked.

"You've been rendered immobile… I'll think about letting you go if you tell me what I want to know."

"And that would be…" she sneered.

"Okay, let's go girls," Meris said as he slowly stood up.

"All right… don't get your panties in a frill. An elven lady, I don't know her name, she paid me handsomely to keep you two and the prissy one out of her hair."

"…Mom…" Amberlee said quietly.

"Now, that you mentioned it, you do look a lot like her. I've been stalking you two for the last few days until the wedding… too bad I hadn't got to see you fight before today or you would have both been dead by now."

"Of course we would, that's why you're immobile," I said.

"What's your name?" Meris asked her.

"Why, do you like my style?" she asked back.

"If you flirt with him again I'll…"

"What? Kill me, so what?" she snorted.

"No, I'll shave you bald."

"You wouldn't."

I looked into her eyes, "Try me. Name."

"Telaya Daner… I'm a tiefling… Meris and I have the same father."


	14. Chapter Twelve

**_AN- _**Just for the record Telaya isn't suppose to be the greatest assassin in the world since she hasn't had any formal training. She like a poser-assassin. :-). Frinker. Also a tiefling is a human-demon and a daemonfey is a Demon-elf… a bit of a difference.

**_Firilya- _**Hey, I used the swear word.Actually,I've been using it like crazy… like FRINKING crazy. (Laughs) Oh yeah the spells… they are going to be spectacular but well… it's in the next chapter. (Ducks a fireball at his head) Which franker threw that?

**_WitchWolf- _**Telaya isn't like any normal assassin (like most of my characters) and prefers to mess around with her victims… at times she can compose herself and actually seem like a real killer but prefers to screw with people's heads. Personally, I like to snowboard, sail and do anything that I'm not good at, just cause. I don't know the meaning of preservation of one's self so I guess it's a correct statement.

**_Tasharene_**- Hugz… I forgot… Writing a lot DOESN'T count… I guess I'll cut down :-), that won't happen. Anyway I was thinking about Punkin never asking about Meris' feelings and I wondered where she delevoped this kind of compassion… I wish there were more girls like her… oh, she's not real… Crap. Lying or silence… I usually start talking about all the facts going through what has, is and could or will happen then I make references to my past experiences similar to this one then… oh you catch the drift… I guess you're right. Amberlee, yep… I've personally been there… and it totally sucks but now I've come to the point of my life where I know everyone is totally screwed up. Anyway, that's all part of Amberlee's naïveté. Man Meris has one screwed up family… it must for him to have such a twisted author. Oh well.**_  
_**

**_Music-_** Eye of the Storm by Blindside

**CHAPTER 12**

Telaya didn't have the look of a half-demon… no horns or wings - she looked like a little toothpick girl with a boy's haircut. But she had shown a little bit of unnatural skill; even though it was all too obvious that she had little training in the art of assassination. She was too easy to spot… it was almost as if she had wanted us to find her.

"Meris," she said slowly while she grinned, "Can't concentrate? Too busy checking me out?"

I looked over at my wizard. He was covered in sweat, trying to keep her in his control.

"Let her out," I said, taking out my rapier again, "I'll cut those bug bites right off her chest. She's just a superficial little tramp."

"Takes one to know one," she retorted.

I glared at Meris. He continued to hold her.

"I'll kill her even if you keep that spell on her," I said. He didn't acknowledge the comment.

"What, do you really believe her?" I challenged.

"It's possible…" He said halfheartedly.

"She's a liar… she's trying to get us off guard. Let's take care of our business, okay? We have to do something with her to save Nasher, right?" I said.

"I guess, but…" He sounded beaten.

"No buts… let's kick some butts, alright?" I said as I reached out to touch his arm. "It's three on one."

I looked over at Amberlee who was utterly quiet and looked like she wasn't all there.

Meris dropped his arms and the assassin was free.

I immediately raced over to attack her while she wasn't on guard. I made a sharp slash at her shoulder, which she nimbly dodged. I followed with a quick thrust at her abdomen and she took three lightning-quick backsteps to evade it.

She grinned. "You're pretty good," she said releasing her katana.

_Why in the hell did we let her keep it? _

Meris fired a column of freezing cold air at her, which knocked her back off balance. I took this opportunity to continue my attack as I cross-slashed back and forth quickly, only to be out maneuvered by the speedy little hell-spawn. She moved with so much grace and speed that I was awestruck and pissed off at the same time. She definitely wasn't from this plane.

"So what the hell do you want with my Meris?" I demanded as I circle-parried a poor hack aimed at my head.

"Your Meris… you make me laugh… like you can control him." She leaped backwards a good ten steps.

Now I had to make up the ground… this fight wasn't going the way I though it would.

"Why do you retreat so much?" I asked as I ran forward, only for her to leap up into the trees.

"I like to see my prey run after me… I like to mess with your eyes. Everyone wants to kill an assassin and I like for you to think you can," she teased and popped up behind Amberlee, who was still deep in her own thoughts. Tela raised her blade, which was now dripping with some type of green liquid… I was guessing it was poison. _Damn assassins._

"AMBERLEE!" But I was to late - the fleeting image of Tela's blade slicing into the back of Amberlee flashed in the night air. I watched it as if it was all in slow motion. "You…you piece of…"

"What?" she said with a long grin on her face as she licked her blade, "You don't like seeing your friends getting chopped up… well, don't worry I'll take care of you next."

Meris, still exhausted, started casting protective spells on me and himself. I hoped he had something to repel poison.

"Punkin," he said, "the wise are still, remember."

"Huh," I murmured as I looked back at him and I quickly smelled the brown haired harpy. I ducked a diving attack at me. If she didn't have wings she had the next best thing. This sucked. I never lose fights and now I was having my butt kicked by a novice.

"I can't wait for Meris to see you bleeding," Tela said as she stood up from her attack, "I want him to weep and cry and feel the pain of death… it's what he needs."

"The only person that's going to die is you," I said and ran to her but with less speed than before. I needed to find openings instead of trying to make them. Telaya took the bait as I closed in. She thought I was wearing down and made a quick swipe at me with her green edged katana. I leaped over the attack and kicked her dead in the face.

"I hope I didn't hurt your little nose…" I offered as I landed and readied myself for another attack. I ran my blade into her shoulder before she could think twice. "Like that," I said taking a step back to catch my breath.

She ran her fingers into her wound and liked it, "I have had worse wounds from sewer rats. I takes more than a little scratch for real warriors to fall."

Meris began chanting his fireball spell… I wasn't proficient in spell-crafting as I should have been but I heard that spell a million times and I knew it meant to get the hell out of the way.

The ball of incineration came at her with the force of an avalanche… quick and unrelenting. The assassin crossed her arms as it made its impact on her.

"Farethewell," I said, waving at the massive orange burst.

A dark figure moved out of the chaos… what the hell was she made of? Without any sign of distress from the painful blast, she came at me with even more speed than before. She aimed an attack at my legs, which I leaped over. Then, as I was in mid-air, she swung her dark blade at my chest. I swiftly blocked it with my rapier but lost my balance and stumbled as I hit the ground.

With no breath in between she continued her assault. I rolled out of the way, letting her stab her katana into the ground… all the way to the hilt. With uncanny strength she drew the sword out of the ground as if it was just in a scabbard. I was guessing that she was really pissed off now.

I could hear Meris heaving for air… he must have been extremely exhausted after all the spell casting but he still had another spell in him. I hoped that it would turn the tide of the battle.

"Meris," I said. "You can do it… just one more spell…" I dodged another attack, "I have faith in you."

Meris closed his eyes to focus again and began to chant another spell.

I leaped out of the way of another slash of the assassin's blade. I wish I could have known how Amberlee was doing… I hoped she wasn't… gone.

In the flash of a moment, a swarm of magical balls shot out of Meris' hands and landed one after another into the back of Telaya. She fell to the ground and was quickly followed by Meris. I took this opportunity to grab the sword from her hand and tossed it away further than my eyes could see.

"I'll… still… beat… you…" she said on her hands and knees. I kicked her in the chest with my hard tipped purple boots… I knew they'd come in handy. She coughed out a small amount of blood.

"What the hell did you do to Amberlee?" I asked as I put my foot into the chest of the assassin.

"I… did… what… I… was… paid… to… do," she said. I kicked her in the head. "Is it poison?"

"…Duh…" she said, trying to swat my foot away. I kicked her again, this time in the temple.

"I want the antidote."

"… Ain't… one…" she said, grabbing my foot. I pulled it away from her and kicked her hand. Her other hand went into her boot. I quickly dove to intercept it from going in. It didn't work.

As I landed on top of her I felt her dagger plunge into my stomach. I did the only thing I could and rolled as far away from her as I could, pulling out a potion from my pack.

"Hell… no… you… die," she said as she threw the dagger, splattering the healing liquid all over my face. She pulled out her other dagger and got to her knees.

I tried to get up and get away but I couldn't… I didn't have enough strength. I saw her figure over me, with her blade shining in the sky and I prepared for the inevitable. She brought the dagger down… as in slow motion again… I saw every move. She wasn't going to miss… but she did.

"Get back," Amberlee told her as she swung her sword again to knock the dagger away from the assassin's hand.

"…You're… I… poisoned…" Telaya tried to figure out what was going on… I had to admit I was just as curious.

"I have a high tolerance from poison… adventurer's kids tend to. Now," Amberlee said as she held the sword with two hands. "It's time for you to pay for your crimes against Neverwinter."

_Where did I hear that before? Aribeth, perhaps._

"… I… won't… die here?" she said and threw a pink potion at Amberlee. She swung her longsword at it and a huge pink fog exploded from the impact.

I held my breath… I knew that no one should ever breath in anything from an assassin bag… it would be suicide. Amberlee, who had undoubtedly saved my life, fell to the ground again. I swallowed a quick potion and got up. The potion didn't help much. I was still in pain but I managed to run over to Amberlee and pulled her out of the fog.

I took a quick breath which sent pain into my wound and I made my way back in to get Meris. I reached for him and saw her shadowed figure over him. She pushed me back and grabbed him.

_Was Meris what she was after? _

I grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it into her face. Then I grabbed my rapier and ran it into her side. Obviously she got the message for she took off into the trees. I hoped against everything that I would never see her again.

XOXOXO 

"Meris," I said slapping him gently on the face. "Are you okay?"

Meris blinked. "I think so…"

"Alright… now let's talk about your payment to me for saving your life."

"What?"

"I could have just let that girl kill you… I think she left me her card. I can track her down," I said with a grin. "I want a kiss." I grabbed him and gave him a long, appreciative kiss.

As we finished up he asked, "Is Amberlee okay?"

"I patched her up… she'll be fine, but she inhaled a lot of Telaya's gas…"

"I'm not sure if I want to know," Meris said as he sat up. "So, what do we do next?"

"Save Nasher, of course… you up to it?" I asked as I stood up revealing the break in my leather armor from the near-deadly wound.

"Did… she do that?" he asked.

"Yep, but I took care of her."

"You killed her."

"Her spirit - yes… her body… not yet," I said. "You should rest up… we got a big fight ahead of us… I can smell it."

**_I think I've stayed for the last time, goodbye  
Hope is so much closer to beauty than sorrow  
I think I'll leave and leave self pity to die  
Reflection is always brighter than shadow_**

**_Please come closer  
Cause I don't even touch you anymore  
Please see I'm walking in to the eye of the storm  
And I'll still come out loving you even more_**

**_Love is in the air tonight  
So just breathe_**

**_You made sure the atmosphere was thick tonight  
So this is where it begins and where it ends  
With a crack in a dark sky piercing light_**

**_Please come closer  
Cause my heart doesn't touch yours anymore  
Please see I'm walking into the eye of the storm  
And I'll still come out loving you even more_**

**_Love is in the air tonight so just breathe  
Breathe my spirit breathe  
Love is in the air tonight so just breathe  
Breathe my spirit breathe_**

**_leave, leave now and don't look back  
leave, leave now and don't you look back_**

**_Please come closer  
Cause I don't even touch you anymore_**

**_Please see I'm walking in to the eye of the storm  
And I'll still come out loving you even more_**

**_Please come closer  
Cause my heart doesn't touch yours anymore_**

**_Please see I'm walking in to the eye of the storm  
And I'll still come out loving you even more_**


	15. Chapter Thirteen

**_Music_**- Bring You To Die by Me but inspired by Bring Me To Life by Evanescene… obviously.

**_WitchWolf_**- I gotta read your next chapter… the whole scene with Tela truly showed their inexperience… they had plenty of opportunities to kill her and they just didn't. I need her alive anyway… I like her… the fight scene (as I already said) was so much fun to write… I wish I could do all that in the game then I wouldn't get my butt kicked by those damn 'Immune to Sneak Attack' frinkers (that's my new swear word by the way).

**_Firilya_**- So how was frinking Holland. Did you have a frinking good time. That's FRINK. I'm glad you could see the whole fight going on… it's very hard to write fight scenes with more than one character without confusing everyone including yourself… was Boddy on the jukebox or Grim. :-). And Amberlee is frinkin' great in this chapter.

**_Tasharene_**- I'd never cut down on my writing... I'm trying to figur out how I could get up to 10000 words a day... it's mathematically possible since I can type a steady 50 words a minutes to do it in 4 hours with 4 ten minute breaks... now all I have to do is find four hours... that's the hard part. My neighbors didn't like the choreography... perhaps I should have done it in slow-motion with the sound (my voice) all the way down. And as far as Telaya, I think you'll like her as I reveal more about her life and motives. Punkin does have ice water in her veins... that's what happens when your parents tell you 'You can do ANYTHING that you're determined enough to do.' All this is her parent's fault... I'll kill 'em... oh they're already dead. Frink.(my swear word.) Hugz and Laterz and have fun reading... try not to laugh to loudly.

**CHAPTER 13 **

I couldn't sleep. I was slightly worried about our favorite assassin returning, but more than that I couldn't stop thinking about what we were getting into. Would Nasher be alive? Was he part of a set-up? Would he be grateful if we saved him? I knew the answer to the last one. I looked at Amberlee. Serene and motionless… she was such a sweet person. I wonder how she could have Alagondar blood in her veins. I healed her arm as best I could but it still looked awful. For some reason I felt personally responsible for her injuries… maybe because she saved my life, but maybe also because I felt that I was supposed to protect her. But even more than about Amberlee I was wondering about being tracked… if we were in a bigger party I would have had someone to watch our back, but with Amberlee sedated and Meris drained… I had to watch over them even if we were being followed.

_It's nothing, Punkin you're just suspicious after surviving such a hellish battle. Soldier paranoia, I think that's what Minsc had said it was. I have to trust my senses and not my mind._

"Punkin…"

I startled at the placid voice.

"What… are we okay?"

I looked at Amberlee as she flickered her eyelids trying to open them.

"We… we are safe," I said moving over to her and sitting next to her bedroll. It was hell trying to get the girl in it.

"And Meris? Is…?" she asked.

"He's fine… a little tired but otherwise no worse for the wear," I said as I moved my fingers along her wound.

"It looks worse than it feels," she said. "I think… never mind."

"What?"

"Something saved me… something superior to me…"

"But you said you had developed an immunity to poison," I said.

"Yeah, but what about all the blood I had lost? And even with my resistance to it… the poison's shock to my arm's muscular system would have made it immobile but…" she moved her arm. "It's not."

"Are you claiming that 'God' saved you?" I said trying not to sound sarcastic, but whenever the word God comes out of my mouth it just sounds so negative.

She looked away from me and said nothing.

"I didn't mean it like that… it's just that… why?"

"I don't know… maybe because more than just our lives are at stake… maybe more than Nasher's also. My mother is ruthless and if that assassin wasn't lying, and if they all are involved with someone more sinister… then it's impossible to predict what could happen."

"I wouldn't take stock in what Telaya has said… anyway, whatever or whoever your mother is involved with, we can handle them."

"But she almost…"

"We can handle it… trust me," I said with a fake smile. "Now rest up… it's an trial just trying to get into the ruins."

_XOXOXO_

"If you had told me that I'd have to climb I would have memorized a levitation spell or two," Meris said as he climbed over a boulder that was taller than him.

"Where's your adventuring spirit?" I asked as I scaled the last wall to get into the centre of the former hold.

"I think I left it back in my room with my self-respect," Meris said as he made a feeble attempt up the wall and fell on his rear end.

"Are you okay?" Amberlee asked him… she of course was already on top of the wall and waiting the two of us. _I swear she must be a freak of nature… she __can fight, climb, run, jump and she is built like a Calimshite prostitute… one of the high-end ones, that guys come from halfway around the world to be with._

"He's fine," I said. "He better be or he'll be looking for a new girlfriend. I don't need a wimp by my side."

Meris stood up and grabbed the wall with both hands. "And I'd prefer not to have a…" he stopped as he started to climb.

"A what?" I said as I reached Amberlee and looked down at him. "And don't forget that many accidents have happened at that place… that's why it was closed by the guards of Neverwinter."

"Nothing, beloved," Meris murmured as he struggled up the wall.

"Just don't think about climbing," Amberlee encouraged him. That must have been how she did that.

"That doesn't make any sense," Meris said as he stopped in the middle of the barrier.

I looked at Amberlee who shrugged.

"Meris… explain necromancy," I said.

His face lightened up. "Really? Well, first things first… everything has a spirit, a part of their self that is the focal apparatus that sanctions one's essence to function. A necromancer must first gain control of this element, many times called the soul…"

It was actually working; Meris was climbing up the wall easily. He soon got to the top of the wall with us and continued to 'enlighten' us.

"Then you must battle psyche in a mental battle… most of the time…"

"Meris," I said, touching his chest.

"Yes?" he smiled.

"I really don't care," I said and pushed him down the other, much shorter side.

"With a girl like you who needs an enemy…" he said as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"AH…Mer..." Amberlee stuttered and pointed behind him to a large planar creature that emerged out of the shadows.

"Damn," I said as I grabbed my rapier and leaped down. "Can't we go anywhere without some creature trying to kill us?" To my surprise the green and blue beast retreated.

"That was Chalchiuhticue," Amberlee said as she jumped down to join us.

"So, whoever hides here knows we're here," I said, putting my blade back in its scabbard.

"What now?" Amberlee asked.

"We go kick some planar ass," I said and took one step forward before Meris grabbed my shoulder stopping me in my tracks.

"That's not a good idea… I think we need to use a more subtle approach," Meris said.

"Like sneakery," Amberlee said.

"…Sure…" Meris said motioning us to go into the shadows with him. "We still have the element of surprise on our side… Punkin, you know this place like the lint in your pack, right?"

"Of course, I do… I practically own the place… oh, we can use some of the crawl spaces that I know of… but where are they?" I asked.

"From what I heard there was a creature held here… a demon bound from Desther's days… Master Takrath told me about it… I would wager my horns that Celeste is trying to 'buy' his services," Meris said.

_He's so intelligent… for a male._

"I think I've heard about those stories but I've never seen anything other than skeletons… walking and dormant types… I doubt it's true…" I said.

Amberlee's eyes looked at the wall intensely and she started to rub the carvings, "I think Meris might be right… these walls seem to have a connection to another plane, I can feel it."

"Okay," I said. "Well, the only place that I'm too sc… that I don't like to go to. Down under the basement is a room… it's too dark for me to see into," I said.

"That's our destination," Meris said and cast invisibility spells over all three of us.

_XOXOXO_

"Why do spiders live where there's no sunlight?" Amberlee said as she scraped the sticky snares off her face.

"I assume they enjoy their privacy," Meris replied as he struggled through the small space and stood up. I was surprised that he was able to get through the petite corridors. "Now were?"

"You see where the light is coming from?" I said.

"Yeah," Meris responded.

"We go the other way," I said and pushed him forward with a firm but loving shove in the back. "Why don't you lead for a little while?"

Meris rolled his eyes and lead us down the sinister foyer. Soon I couldn't see my nose if I crossed my eyes.

I sighed. I hated not being able to see anything.

"It's okay… we won't let you run into nothing, okay?" Amberlee said, grabbing my shoulder. At times like these I hated being a mere human… and I hated feeling inferior.

"This is no ordinary darkness," Meris said. "I sense strong magical prowess is aiding this locality's obscurity."

"Huh?" Amberlee huffed.

"Someone's making it dark with magic," I explained. "Do you think they are close by?"

"I suspect they would be… from the strength of this spell I'd have to admit that whomever it is," Meris continued in a low voice, "They are quite an authoritative spellcaster. I can't wait to meet him."

I shook my head, "Is that before or after they kill us?"

"I can have admiration and still understand what's at stake… and we won't die."

I wanted to ask how he knew… but I decided that it wouldn't help to ease my nerves so I let it go and let Amberlee lead me through the hall.

**_XOXOXO_**

"I swear it's been days since we came into this damn abyss," I groaned. "Are we there yet?"

"It has not been that long," Amberlee offered. "Has it?"

"No," Meris said. "It's been about an hour but this is amazing… to be able to control a spell of this magnitude for such an amount… it's almost unfathomable."

"I don't care how 'strong' this things is… I can't wait to get out and kick some…"

Meris said, "I don't think you paid attention during Magical Arts class… a person that can create a spell like this is in the upper echelon of…"

"And I don't care… I'll defeat whatever the hell it is," I said.

"With what?" Amberlee asked… I think the half-elf was staring at me but I couldn't tell.

I smiled, "A bard's most trusted weapon… her voice."

"I doubt diplomacy will be effective…" Meris said.

I punched him in the back… lucky hit, I guess, and I said, "I don't even know the meaning of the word… bards can do great things with their voice… I've seen a bard bring someone to life with just a song."

"I doubt that…" Meris said.

"I saw it with my own eyes," I retorted. "And you'll see yourself… I'll save Nasher's wrinkly ass and take him back to Sharwyn's daft little arms and they'll live happily ever after."

There was a long silence that was broken only once…

"How do you know Nasher has a wrinkly behind?" Amberlee asked. I didn't answer.

**_XOXOXO_**

I **finally** saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Thank the go.." I stopped.

"Yep," Amberlee said. "I noticed it about five minutes ago but I didn't want to get your hopes up if you didn't see it yet."

I cracked my knuckles and inhaled deeply, swallowing more dust than air.

"Let's just hope that we won't have another fight like the one we had with Telaya," Meris said.

"Why not," I said. "Are you losing your spine?"

"No, but I'd like to get out of here with my life intact," Meris replied.

"I'm with Meris," Amberlee said, "But if we have to fight… I won't freeze up like I did up there with Tela… I promise that I'll be brave."

_I wish I could get that in writing._

_XOXOXO_

I had no idea what to expect. An ambush? A sneak attack? A full frontal assault? Archers? I hate archers more than I loathe toothaches. But we were finally there and about to cross the threshold to see what we had to deal with.

"Shhh," Meris whispered. "I'm going to go scout the area…"

"Hell no," I whispered in answer. "I'm the sneakiest one… I'll go see what's happening." At that moment we all heard the blood-curdling screech come from the room.

I listened carefully.

"If you kill me…" the voice of Nasher stopped as we heard a thunderous crack, "…damn you, witch… I should have never saved your ass."

"You saved me? Umm, I seem to remember it differently," another crack and Nasher screeched again, "I saved your ass… everyone always did. Your party… the Big Four…"

"The Ne…" another crack.

"I don't give a damn," another crack and a scream, "You know I saved you… and you knew that I loved you and you turned me down… WHY?"

Silence.

I peeked around to see Nasher strapped upside down on some type of torture device and with Celeste standing over him with the vilest looking whip in her hand. It had three heads, with flames launching from each one.

"What's going on?" Amberlee asked.

"I think your mother is into S and M and Nasher's not," I joked.

"What's S.M.?" Amberlee asked Meris.

"It's… nothing," Meris blushed. We refocused on what was going on.

Celeste pulled her whip back and said, "So what the hell is it? Was I too old for you?"

"No."

Crack. Another hit across his already bleeding chest.

"So I wasn't a good enough lover… I wasn't like this slut Sharwyn you've fallen for," Celeste's eyes were filled with rage and tears.

"…No…" Crack.

"So what the hell was it?" Celeste demanded.

Silence.

"WHAT!"

"…I didn't find you… attractive." Crack.

"LIAR!" Crack…crack.

"…I don't… like… elves…" Nasher said and spat into her face.

Amberlee jolted before Meris or I could stop her.

"Stop it!"

Celeste raised her whip up and looked at her daughter running to her.

"Leave us alone…" she said. "This between the two of us… it has little to do with you."

_Little? I always wondered about that statement. _

I stood up and ran to Amberlee as she said, "Please Mother, let him go… this is no justice. Please."

"What does a child know about justice?" Celeste said. Crack. She snapped the whip at her only daughter. Amberlee feel to the ground from the pain of the impact. Celeste raised her whip up again but before she could swing it again she was meet with a fireball face to face. The moon elf stumbled backwards.

"Another sign of confrontation will result in nothing but more pain," Meris said as he prepared to cast another spell.

"Chalchiuhticue," Celeste called and the planar creature appeared out of nowhere again. It swung a sea green tentacle at me. I did a back flip to avoid the contact since I remembered that any blow from it would inflict poisonous damage to me.

Meris called out a long crimson beam that seemed to sap out the energy from the huge creature.

"Watch out for it's spit," Amberlee screamed as she stood up.

And, as if on command, the thing spat at me. I dodged it but the ground below me wasn't as lucky and the sizzling hole that now sits there is a proof.

Crack. I looked at Amberlee who was trying to free Nasher… shit if it was either of them than it was… my Meris that felt the flame tipped splinter of Celeste's whip.

"I've never liked the look of you," Celeste said to the kneeling wizard. "I've killed plenty of your kind." She raised her whip and I ran across the room. In one single motion I jumped, grabbed the whip and pulled the elf backwards.

"Thanks," Meris smiled then pointed. "Watch out."

I rolled away from another deadly spittle assault. Amberlee had finally freed Nasher and the two helped to surround the huge creature. I rushed at the creature and stabbed it in the chest… what I figured was a chest. It staggered back.

_So it can be physically harmed… good._

"I'll slow it down," Meris said as he sent several magical arrows at the fiend. I continued to stab at its midsection. Amberlee, now with her sword in hand, hacked away at its back and Nasher, well… we didn't need stones he was throwing.

"Do you know how we can kill it?" I asked.

"I don't know…" Amberlee said. "Maybe we could some how unsummon it."

I looked over at my wizard. "That's your department."

Meris effortlessly said a few words and the creature disappeared. _If mages have such superior intellects then why in the hell do they perform such brainless acts…_

"I got messy and that's all you had to do?" I said shaking the wetness off my boots.

"Hey, I'm not the only one that can cast spells," he said looking at me.

I shrugged, "I forget that at times…"

Crack. Meris' back was engulfed in flames.

Celeste stood up smiling. "I will not be defeated by a bunch of little kids."

I dug my nails into the hilt of Patheon. "And I won't be defeated by an over-arrogant, self-righteous bitch like you."

Celeste spoke and sent a shower of frozen meteors to hurl us down. I dodged the falling stones with ease but after everything went quiet I guessed the rest of my party wasn't as lucky. I knelt and caught my breath as the moon elf approached. I began to sing…

**_How can you see through closed windows like open doors? _**

You are so sick to the core,

And you've become so dumb without a soul

You are sleeping in the cold

Until you get a life and leave me the hell alone.

**_Wake up; go inside. _**

Wake up; go inside.

Call me no more, come out from the dark

Bid your blood to run, I don't say this for fun.

Save yourself from the nothing you've become.

****

Now that you know what I'm about,

Will you please leave me

Get away from my window, this is real.

Bring you to die.

"Give it up, little girl, you're no match for me without your little demon."

My demon. My bracelets… it was worth a shot since my life was depending on it. I grabbed my wrist and twisted them lightly…

In an instant, I grew to a colossal size… Tenser Transformation, I remembered. I looked down at the ground and saw my opponent trapped in a thicket of vines… Evard's Black Tentacles. A classic slow-down technique taught to spellcasters. I couldn't figure out what the last spell was, however…

Celeste fired a magic missile at me… I tried to dodge it but with my excessive size I couldn't but watch as the ball approached me and… deteriorated.

Magic Shield… a nice addition since I couldn't get out of a harm's way as easily now. I swung my blade… now altered into a legendary longsword known only as Tenser's Blade… and I sliced through the vines to reveal Celeste.

"How the hell did you do that?" Celeste demanded as she backed up.

"…Magic…" I said. I sliced at her again.

Celeste regained her confidence and produced a cyclone that flung my creeping plants away. I swung my blade again, with all of my determination slicing the elf across her chest. She fell to the ground.

"That's for Meris," I swung the blade the other way, forming a perfect X across her chest, "That's for Amberlee."

"…Please… spare me…" she said, lying on the ground, bleeding.

"Why in the hell should I?"

"Don't end up like me."

Damn, she had a point… this was futile… Amberlee's delicate mind would most likely crumble if I killed her mother… damn it… I hate having a heart.

"You have two seconds to get out of my sight…"

**_Wake up; go inside. _**

Wake up; go inside.

Call me no more; come out from the dark.

Bid your blood to run, I don't say this for fun.

Save yourself from the nothing you've become.

Bring you to die.

**_Frozen outside without my touch without my love _**

Stalker, nothing makes me gag the way that you do.

**_All this time I can't believe I couldn't see _**

Hid in the dark you were there just watching me.

I've ignored you a thousand years it seems.

You were watching me change and everything.

With dirty thoughts, without a voice, without a soul

I'll let you die there, don't watch me anymore.

Bring you to die


	16. Chapter Fourteen

_AN_- Elven translations

_Corianin Korma en Umberlee_- Bright Purple Ring of Umberlee (goddesss of the ocean and storms… I believe she had a bit of a backing in Luskan… hmmm)

Kawa means kneel... authoritively. I'm not sure if I conjugated it correctly… I haven't written elven in a while.

Quena means speak , Dina means quiet, Di'Thang (one of my favorites) means slave.

_Sorry this took so long to get out… a lot of stuff is going on, good and bad. Anyway, this will be the final chapter of Purple (tear falls) but not the end of the story of course. I am rewriting Between Angels and Insects with a broader look into everything going on… and since it's about more than just Punkin, Meris and Amberlee I figured it should be a separate story… and it's not in 1st person and… oh well you'll get to read it._

**_Firilya_**- Ich hoffe, dass sie wirklich dieses capitel genießen… something doesn't look right… oh well it's german of course it doesn't look right. LOL, Evanescence's singer… AMY LEE, the woman I will marry remember. Jeez you can't even remember my wife's name. LOL. And that works on guys… ask me my opinion on anything and you can lure me anywhere… even shivers the womanly hygiene aisle. Damn egos.

**_WitchWolf_**- Poor Nasher… he's glad you aren't writing… but oh yeah it gets worse, much worse so maybe not. LOL. I kind of made Meris a little stronger than I should have I think… but his heritage gives him those bonus so it's not my fault. :-).I think you'll think this chapter is amazing or complete rubbish one or the other.

**_Tasharene_**- Thanks for everything… I didn't even notice how huge this chapter was… over 5500 words and not easy ones… it's ME of course. I wish I could have more comedy in this one but of course I need a little darker mood… more laughing will come though.

**Chapter 14**

_Don't end up like me._

She looked pitiful, kneeling there and seemingly pleading with me to spare her. My pristine muscles ached with a desire to do something more than stand and look at her.

"I have done… many things I've regretted… but nothing of this… magnitude," she twitched.

_What? Nearly killed your daughter? Pick a fight with someone that you assumed was weaker than you only to end up bowing before? Attempting to kill a person that has more allies than he deserves?_

I clamped down on the blade that must have been legendary in its aptitude to kill foes and felt a quick pulse race up my arm. I desired to kill her. I doubted that I would feel much remorse if I did. But…

_Don't end up like me._

That damn phrase racing in my head.

"If you knew the whole story… who'd understand… perhaps you would condone what I've done but…"

I really didn't know the whole story. Most people believed Nasher was a kind, gentle leader with little to no demons in his past but I knew him better than that. Perhaps it was my bardic intuition or maybe it was my curiosity.

"Go on," I said still hovering over the elf.

She looked at her daughter who was still breathing and apart from being battered and bruised she seemed okay. I knew it would take more than a few boulders falling on her head to slay the resilient girl.

"Nasher once… rescued me from the torment of a mad arch mage that intended to remove all my memories and use my talents to perform… evil tasks for him. Although I've lost most of my memories… I don't even know where I grew up; I was still able to remember much of my training in the magical arts and for a short while I stood at Nasher's side until…" she covered her eyes.

I looked over at the Lord of Neverwinter lying motionless with nothing but a cloth over what he was born with. I always wondered how someone with so many weaknesses could have once been a great adventurer. "So you and him were an item?" I asked.

"No… though I wished we could have been at the time. He was… he thought it would interfere with his career. I didn't understand what he meant until I found myself in the capture of a group of wizards known as the Red Wizards of Thay… have you heard of them?"

"I'm a bard… of course I have. So, Nasher sold you out," I said. I guess Nasher is a bigger asshole than I first thought.

"So I went from one bad state to an even worse one. Apparently I was once the property of the Red Wizards and they were… burglarized by a young upstart and they… hired Nasher with the aid of a geas to return me to them." A geas, so Nasher would have rather saved his own ass than an innocent one, I guess he hasn't changed much."

"So he didn't have much of a choice," I said.

"That wasn't what broke my heart… he betrayed me… the day I was captured… we… shared our bodies with one another…"

"I'm a big girl, I know about the birds and the bees. You had sex, go on," I said.

"Yes. It felt special… I thought I was finally safe but after we finished, the wizards arrived and I was locked up in their damn tower for so long I can't really remember when Celamn came for me."

"Amberlee's father, right?" I said.

"Yes. He said he learned of what his brother did and came after me… he seemed very different from his brother and with some amazing heroics and a lot of stealth he was able to save me. Since then we've been running from our pasts and trying to make a future for ourselves."

"So you want to kill him for taking your virginity," I grinned. What a little witch.

Her eyes revealed a renewed fire, "I want to make him suffer the way I suffered… and I will. I'll make sure he's never happy."

_I'm beginning to like the way she thinks._

"You are aware that a lot of people are going to do everything in their power to stop you, right?"

"I'm prepared." She said.

_You're living in a hole in the ground… you're prepared?_

"Are going to kill me?"

"I haven't decided yet… depends on what you what to do with Nasher."

"I will not let him go… he's mine… he knows where it is."

"Okay… then I guess I'll have to stop you." What the hell was she after?

She stood up and the ground began to tremor, "If I have to go through you to get to Nasher… I will."

I dug my feet into the ground and gripped the hilt of my sword. _I should have killed her when I had the chance._

In an instance, he appeared. I remembered his hideous face… those ugly, long horns and his smug little grin… I thought I'd never see it again.

FLASH BACK 

"**Lena," I said to the Avariel bard as we were in search for the traitor of Neverwinter, "This is almost as big as my house." I alleged sarcastically looking through the rooms of Helm's Hood.**

"**Don't touch… stuff… it might be booby trapped or something," she warned, pointing her bow vigilantly to alert any more undead creatures to back away.**

"**Skeleton's don't lat traps." I explained.**

"**Yeah, but mages do," Ashmorlenna explained.**

"**Oh," I said and forced open a door.**

**Lena shook her head and said, "Okay I thought we had an under…"**

"…**Free Me…"**

"**Holy crap," I said and darted inside the room. "What the hell was that?"**

**Lena ran after me and the voice that kept crying out to be freed.**

"**Free me," the tallest creature that I had ever since towered over me.**

"**What… are… you?" I asked staring at its red, scaly skin and furry legs.**

"**I'm Chaohinon of the Void and I…"**

"**Can I call you Chi-Chi?" I asked the strange creature.**

**  
"I'm a demon of immense power… I was the driving force behind the devastation you see before you and I am not all here …" he said as I shook my head idly not understanding a word he said. I touched the magical barrier around him.**

"**Punkin!" Lena exclaimed and I pulled my hand back. "This is a demon… we must be careful, a planar creature should never be trusted."**

"**But he's in that cage… he can't be dangerous… you are a he," I said turning to the creature.**

**"I am a male…"**

**"See, I know what I'm doing… so what will I get if I help you… three wishes, right?" I inquired, clasping my hands together.**

"**I am not a genie in a bottle…"**

**"Gotta rub you the right way," I sang and then laughed. "Sorry I had to do that." I sang.**

**The demon looked over to Lena, "Is she allowed to behave this way?" **

**Lena shook her head, "I think she even talks as she sleeps."**

"**So where's the off switch," I asked as I circled around the force field.**

**Ashmorlenna mumbled, "We could ask the same about you."**

"**There is no… switch… I need you to complete the ritual that the mage has not…" the demon explained.**

"**Desther?" I asked.**

"**Yes I do believe that was name but…"**

"**Man, he's dumb and lazy… what a combo… okay what do you need?" I asked.**

"**Punkin." Lena grabbed my arm. "WE are no going to free this thing…"**

"**You're right," I said.**

"**I am?" Lena looked confused.**

"**Yeah, WE are not… I will," I said and tried to pull away from her but her grip was too strong.**

**"Listen, Punkin," she took a deep breath. "This guy is bad news and if we let him free he'll just lie, cheat and kill."**

"**But it could be fun," I said with a coy smile.**

"**Okay let's weigh the options." Lena held out her two hands and raised the left one up an inch, "A little fun," then dropped her right one below her knee. "But we might die."**

**I stroked my chin, "Hmmmm."**

"**See I'm right."**

"**Death can't be that bad," I replied. Lena's jaw dropped.**

**The demon laughed and said, "I like that girl's style."**

**  
"Just be quiet… you'll need your strength to sustain your life until someone really imperceptive comes along and assists you…" **

"**But the girl..." **

**With the speed of a goddess Lena swung her bow and the shaft hit me square across the head. Then Lena finished the demon's statement. "Won't be helping you. Goodnight." **

**And the next thing I remember was seeing Fenthick standing over me, praying.**

_**XOXOXO**_

"Chi-chi," I said with a crooked smile. "So how have you been?"

His crimson eyes grew darker as he leaned over to get a better look at me.

"It's not like I grew that much in what… four years… well I guess I have some improvements," I said looking at my body. "But nothing that would hide the fact that I'm me…"

"You're still a chatterbox," he said in a deep strong voice.

"Pretty much… most bards are," I said. "So, I'm guessing that the witch over there freed you… right?"

"She did… and she only wished one thing from me…" he said as he went over to Nasher.

"Well, I need to warn you that I'm obligated to defend the decrepit old man in his undies," I said with my hands on my hips.

"You'd try to fight a demon," Celeste said feebly.

I pointed to Meris, "I have a little practice and I hear that they aren't as terrifying as lore has set them out to be." I pulled out Patheon, "My blade loves demonic blood also… just a little bonus."

"That's the blade that the winged little tramp had…"

"Ashmorlenna… the tramp has a name. So," I took a step forward. "Do we do this the easy way or the hard way?"

The demon stepped toward me and Patheon flashed a quick scarlet twinkle that ran across the blade and was gone as soon as it appeared. He stopped.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded.

"Like I said… my rapier is keen of demonic derivations." I said as I made a mock cross slash in his direction.

I knew if I was going to fight him I had to hurry, but I didn't want to make the first move… it wasn't my style but the demon could just be stalling for my spells to wear off. To attack or not to attack, I guess that was the question.

"I have no desire to fight… you," he said as he fired a short red ray into the heart of Nasher. I grabbed my two swords and rushed at the demon but… with a quick burst of light he was gone.

"Damn it," I swore, leaning over to see the condition of Lord Nasher. He was still breathing, but he was pretty bruised up. I assumed he'd be okay. "What the hell did he do?"

Celeste smiled, "You'll find out in due time but for now…" She began to move toward something in her pocket. Without a lingering thought I darted across the room and tackled the moon elf just as she was getting herself ready to teleport.

XOXOXO 

"You still have not retuned with the Corianin Korma en Umberlee…" I heard a thunderous voice cry out, waking me from my sleep.

"There's been a lot of compli…."

"I have no need for your mortal excuses… get it…" the loud cry echoed through what looked like a cavern.

"Your excellency," the voice of Celamn joined the conversation. "What do you wish for us to do with the young bard?"

A long silence followed this statement then the cheerless voice said, "Dispose of her… I have no use for another human play thing."

"Sir," Celamn continued. "Perhaps with the device that my beloved placed on her we could… dominate her… we could use her to help with your glorious restoration."

"Perhaps… I'll allow you to make that judgment but if she interferes with my progress…"

"We will destroy her," Celeste said with no resonance of emotion in her voice.

_This isn't looking good… I have to do something and quick._ I looked around for any type of exit. None. No rocks or anything. _Damn it,_ I thought as I ran my fingers around the nape of my neck. Iciness ran up my fingers. I felt around a little more… some type of metal 'collar' was around my neck. I looked for a chain. None. _What the hell was this thing?_

"So," Celeste peered through the wrought-iron bars that separated the two of us. "I see that fates have seem to have rolled into my favor." I opened my mouth to speak but she interrupted, "Don't waste what little strength you have left to talk… that little necklace has you completely under my control and I like my slaves quiet."

_The fates are like the wind… they'll sway back my way sooner or later,_ I thought, realizing she was right as I couldn't even force a sound out of my throat. So, my secret weapon was gone… I grabbed my side. Nothing.

"Your damn little sword is away… along with your little trinkets… what's with you bards and collecting junk anyway, I swear you could run a shop out of your own pack."

Celamn walked over slowly, keeping his eyes from meeting mine. He was weak… I was slowly learning that. "Miss Capernum… we have a proposition for you…" I shook my head profusely from side to side.

"See she is stubborn… just like our daughter…" Celeste said.

"Maybe if she hears us out… perhaps she'll be willing."

_Nope, never._

"You are a bard so I'm guessing you know about the Unicorn Run."

I starred blankly… little kids know of the Unicorn Run.

"Bards and sages pass down the tale the headwaters of the Unicorn Run are," explained the moon elf, "in truth, the Font of Life, and a cradle of fecundity. Each natural race is said to have emerged from the womb of Chauntea onto Abriel-Toril at the river's source and then traveled down the Unicorn Run to the outside world. Some say a daughter of Chauntea resides at the river's source to usher the newborns into the world, while others claim that Shialla midwives the process.

"Regardless of the truth, the lore of elves, and most other races claim that the Unicorn Run is sacred to life and a site of incredible purity…"

_So what? You want to be these babies' momma too and screw them up the way you've done to Amberlee?_

Celamn added in, "We are in search for a rare and powerful set of artifacts believed to have been worn by the Goddess Umberlee."

_Umberlee… that explains Celeste's constant bitchy attitude._

"We intend to use these to resurrect… well you'll learn that in due time, my child… so what do you say… do you want to be a part of something greater than yourself?"

I lifted my hand up to my chest, clenched my fist, then I gave her them the number one sign… with my middle finger, of course.

Celeste threw her hand up, "You insolent little brat… KAWA!"

I felt an excruciating fire run through my body and the next thing I remember… I'm kneeling in front of Celeste.

"I have ways… life-threatening ways to make people do what I want them to," she said and turned to walk away. "Remember that."

_He will come for me._

_**XOXOXO**_

Ten days… ten long days… they really thought that taking away my voice, and food and sunlight would actually break me… I wasn't that pathetic.

Celeste glared at me with a long, tomblike stare through her emerald green eyes as if she was trying to get a quick glimpse into my soul.

"Why in Nine Hells are you being so bloody difficult… can't you see that you are being given an opportunity of a lifetime?" She tried to persuade me.

_Yeah right… and lose my life in the process… no thanks._

She punched the bar demonstrating her superior strength and bending one of the black poles as if it were nothing at all.

"My Master grows impatient… he needs the artifact and we need some strong, brave and swift like yourself…"

_Find a damn mule… I ain't going in search of a god-forsaken ring worn by a sea hag on her menses._

She shook her head. "What would it take to convince you… gold… power… status? I could get you anything you want."

I opened my eyes wide and pulled at the collar.

"Quena…" Celeste said and starred at me a second. "Speak, child before I lose my temper."

"…I…" I stammered out. "I can talk?"

"Yes… but only if I allow it… remember I AM your master now."

"Sure, sure… yeah, yeah… anyway, what I want is," I stroke my chin. "Oh, I know…"

Celeste's face grew more serious.

"MY foot in your…"

"KAWA!" The pain shot through me… I was getting used to that and although it still hurt… the pain went away faster with each form of torture she used against me.

"You're just a pathetic…"

"DINA!"

My voice left me again…she must not have liked the truth I was telling her.

"You fall to realize that your life is hanging by a thread and I could end it very quickly."

I crossed my arms waiting for her to do it. She glared hard at me and I sent the look back at her…

"Mistress Celeste…" An overweight and out of shade (are you sue that's the word you wanted here?) guard sprinted… well trotted over to us. "We have an… issue that requires your input…"

"What is it now, Di'thang?" Celeste spat.

"We have a minor… situation," the half-orc said, as he stood tall at attention with his enormous spear held over his head. "Three of your guards are dead…"

"What! Who is responsible?"

"I… I do not know but the spy you have keeping tabs on the half-demon and your daughter has not sent any message in two days…"

"And why wasn't I notified?"

"We… didn't want you to have to be involved in our matters… we will take care of this… I just need to make sure you are safe… you are our only hope."

Celeste smiled. _What a friggin' egomaniac…_

"The bard may also need to be moved…" 

"No… I have better ideas… get that scanty little tiefling over here… we are going to use the human girl as bait… do you have any information other than that?"

"I have investigated the breach and believe that the intruder has used some type of dimensional doorway to come through… much like the way our soon-to-guardian does. Also, I believe that it is just a single individual…"

"That damn monster doesn't know how the hell to stay out of things that do not concern him." Celeste spat.

_My life concerns him, wench._

"Set up a barrier around this floor and the one below…" Celeste directed.

"Do you think we should set up the anti-magic field on this floor or the one below?" Di'Thang asked.

Celeste grinned, "It would be interesting to see if the mage could defeat our drider without the use of any magic, wouldn't it hon?"

Celamn stood motionless then said, "Below would be best… we may need to fight up here… since there is no escape without a portal."

_Meris… please be safe… and prepared… and most of all be strong and courageous. Remember, I believe in you._

_**XOXOXO**_

My heart was pounding… I couldn't hear anything but I could feel all the tension in the air… I knew that Meris, my hero, was overwhelming the Hold and that it was only going to be a matter of time before I was free.

I wondered about all the things I have learned while being imprisoned here. What the hell were they after? I knew it was some type of artifact… and most likely of great magical power but why? And who or what were they trying to bring back or create or whatever the Hell they were trying to accomplish? And most of all, why was Neverwinter going to stand in the way so much that Celeste could get the aid of so many powerful creatures?

"So sweetie," that voice… that damn voice of that damn assassin came from nowhere. I looked around but couldn't see her. "Don't worry you aren't suppose to see me… I'm just wrapping up some lose ends before I get my gold and get the hell off Fae'run."

_What the hell are you talking about?_

"A lot of things are about to happen… and I don't want to be around when they do," Tela explained. "Being in the middle of a God-war is the last thing I want to be any part of."

_God-war?_

"I don't want to even see the damn Goddess in flesh and blood… sends chills down my back actually… don't move, you've got more traps around you than hairs on your head."

I took a step forward and a small burst of flames ran up my leg.

"See… I don't lie… cheat and steal - yeah… but I don't lie. Anyway, you seem like you got common sense and aren't one of those headstrong adventurer types… I suggest you find the first boat off this damned land and start a new life somewhere else… well, that's all I've been paid to do… I gotta make tracks… hope to see you alive… you are one damn good fighter… you might even beat me one day. Perhaps."

_Thanks Telaya… I think… but you're wrong about one thing. I am one of those headstrong adventurers… and whatever these lunatics are trying to pull… I'll stop them._

_**XOXOXO**_

"THE DRIDER'S BEEN DEFEATED… REPEAT, THE DRIDER IS DEAD!" the shouts came after I had stood perfectly still for over two hours.

I sighed… _now hurry the Hell up before I send you where you sent the dride, Merisr._

Just as I finished that thought, a huge skeleton warrior charged through the door, followed by five others, all wielding greatswords dripping with scarlet blood. They efficiently overmatched the guards standing at the front of the room I was placed in and made their way toward me. I tried to scream… but nothing came out… the skeletons marched forward to me and one by one blew up into skeletal piece in front of my eyes as trap after trap disengaged and set off. 

I looked at the front door… still hoping for any movement. Minutes… that seemed like days… went by. _Where are you Meris?_

Celamn then walked in. "You thought you could defeat us?" he said as he walked in followed by what seemed like a demon… full grown and full blooded, carrying my Meris. "Your folly will be your downfall."

Meris looked up and said, "I've come for one thing… I couldn't give a damn about whatever the hell else you are trying to accomplish but Punkin…"

"Your girlfriend is unharmed… see… well, at least for now. You see, you two have put us in a tough position… you both have declarations to Neverwinter and this won't be tolerated by our Master…"

"I will not depart without her," Meris said dryly.

"Do you denounce Neverwinter?"

"…No…"

"Then you must die," Celamn said casting a fireball spell at Meris and the demon. It dispersed a few strides in front of them. "What…"

The demon let Meris go. "The master doesn't want this harmed… he is powerful… even beyond your beloved Celeste and will soon be turning tide of our storm," the demon explained.

"I don't take orders from bound demonic creatures," Celamn said and began to cast another spell. It was easily counter spelled by the demon.

"Your magic is useless… the Master is awakened… he will so lead US into our new home," the demon retorted and without any stress in his voice cast a spell that caused Celamn to fall to the ground… seemingly dead. The demon then turned to Meris. "Our Master is roused… we tire of being bound and lead asunder… he will be our new God… Fae'run's new God and we will be his chosen ones."

Meris looked up at the taller demon and said, "I have no need of favor from the Gods… all I want is someone that's true… and the gods are everything but that."

"You denounce your brethren…"

"Empathetically…"

Hearing that sharp response the demon reared his claws back and ran them into the side of Meris. When he pulled them out, they were dripping green and the liquid seemed to crawl up the skin of the demon.

"What?"

"Our informants in Neverwinter had me well-prepared… that's a little spell created to kill demons… it uses my blood as a necromantic planar solvent to eat away at your skin… thank my Master Takrath for that one." Meris explained as he swallowed a potion as he fell to one knee.

The demon slowly disappeared into the darkness of the room. Meris grinned as he felt his wound, "And by the way, I've taken worse strikes for girls."

_My sarcastic, foolish hero. _

Meris called a thunderous spell that was followed by the sound of hundreds of clicks. "Find Trap… nice addition to my arsenal," he said then tried to open the bars.

"Locked?" he fumbled in his pack, "were is that thing… ah ha… Open Door," he used the scroll and as it disappeared, the door opened and my collar fell off.

"Finally," I said rubbing my neck. "What in Nine Hells took you so long… I swear I could have called on the power of Tyr and he would have got here faster…"

"I accept your gratitude," Meris said and grabbed me by the hand. "We have to get the hell out of here."

"Why?" I asked as he pulled me to the middle of the room.

"Master Gend and others from the city are outside and they are going to unleash a multitude of spells and traps that will have this tower in more of a scrap heap than before," Meris explained.

"But… Patheon… and my stuff," I said looking around.

"Don't worry about it… you can get more stuff… you're rich, aren't you."

"No… there is no other Patheon… it's one of a kind… I'm not even sure if it is from this plane."

"We have to leave," he said as I started rummaging through everything for my stuff.

"I'll rather die than to lose that… it was a gift from…"

"Ashmorlenna… I know," Meris said and started to look around with me.

I found everything from scrolls to magical instruments… that I stuffed in Meris' pack of course… no need to leave them behind… but no Patheon.

"Looking for this?" said the voice of Celeste. Who appeared out of nowhere. I need to find some way to know when my enemies are trying to sneak up on me… or it'll be the death of me one day. She twirled my rapier in her hand.

"Drop it… or else…" I said.

"Or else what… you sic your demon on me? I'm shaking in my boots. Doesn't this thing have a certain strength against demons, anyway?" she teased.

"Yes… but it was a certain power that I've forgotten to mention… it likes me… a lot," I said and the blade burst with a bright red light that blinded the elf. I took this opportunity to run over and swipe the weapon from her hand. I ran to the portal that Meris had just open and said, "You're lucky I don't have the time to stick around and kill you. I have places to be and people to see and I can't…" Meris pulled my shoulder and tugged me through the portal.

_**XOXOXO**_

"We are glad you are safe," Sharwyn said as I stood in front of her a mere three hours after my ordeal. "I hope you have good things to tell us in your return."

"Well, I think we stopped them from doing whatever it was that they wanted to do… I have a bunch of new accessories to play around with…" I grinned.

Aarin Gend walked out of the shadows. This was the first time in three years that I had seen him… he was always so mysterious… with a certain darkness always around him. "We have reason to believe that Neverwinter is in for some troubled times."

"I heard them mention something about a God-war…"

Sharwyn rubbed her eye, "Damn it… I knew you were dense but never this dense…"

"What?"

"Someone… or something is trying to ascend to level of a God… or Goddess," Sharwyn explained. "Which means one of two things… one could be that a God has past on and since I haven't heard any news of that… I assume we are dealing with number two… someone is going to try to kill a God."

"Oh… but I thought Gods were immortal," I inquired. Of course, I believed the idea that these celestial beings floating and gloating over us were a bunch of bull.

Sharwyn smiled. "It's far more complicated than that… haven't you taken a religion course? Have you?"

"I'd just get kicked out," I said.

Sharwyn shook her head, "As a fellow bard and a bit of an expert in adornment lore, you are aware of some of the many items that can give a person enhanced power… even those that could rival those of Gods."

"They mentioned a Corianin Korma en Umberlee I've never heard of it, though."

"Nor have I but we need to figure what it is… it might be our only hope for preservation."

XOXOXO 

Neverwinter was now in a frenzy and the Academy became filled to the brim with youth seeking to protect it and although a year had past with no reminiscence of any type of an attack brewing against Neverwinter… I knew that we weren't out of harm's way.

I found out that Amberlee wanted to go with Meris to rescue me but was forced, physically and magically, from doing so… she was still healing from her wounds that her mother gave her and not in a perfect state of mind… she may never get there.

Meris and I haven't seen a lot of each other since that day… we both are in heavy training to protect our city… but we talk on occasion. I still hold him in the highest regards as my dearest, truest friend. Everything seemed to have been going perfect until the day Meris received the news of his mother's death…

"I…I cannot believe…she's gone," Meris told me as I was finishing up a sparring lesson with some weapon master in training.

"She was really young to die… what was she… about 500?"

"She was over 600," Meris explained, "but she was still young… I have to go see the funeral."

"I'm going too," I said.

"NO… you're…"

"I am and that's final," I said and gave him a hug. "Anyway, we need some 'alone time'."

"Linu is sending Amberlee with me… she's busy with some shipment to Evermeet or something… I guess you'd be jealous if the two of us went on a month long journey together anyway."

_Me… jealous… never. Now shut your mouth before you ruin the mood._ "So, what do I tell everyone in your hometown about me? You know, my association with you..."

Meris looked like a kobold trying to figure out how to swim.

"Girlfriend it is then," I said with a huge smile and hugged him again. "This will be our greatest adventure together, yet."

Meris shook his head. "Everyday is an adventure with you."

**The End**

* * *

AN- That was easily the most polished story I ever completed over 100000 words... easily. I want to thank everyone that has, will and will EVER read this story. Reviews would be good as well but of course this is my charity to the world. Waves hand piously I do this for you guys. Anyway, I've been playing on a lot of server games online, which is a different for me... I prefer going solo... anyway, if Meris seems less powerful in Angels and Insects it's because I think I'm starting to get a getter grasp on how levels should actually be gained... Neverwinter didn't do the D & D system justice... anyway, I have to go... it's weird that I'm posting this the day I'm leaving NY... very weird... okay, I have to go find some my stuff and pack... adidos. 


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